Increasing attention is being paid to the challenges that recovery workers face
as they perform their work and then return to their families and pre-deployment
duties. As a family member of an emergency or disaster response worker, you have
faced your own challenges in keeping your family functioning while a loved one
is away. This brochure contains useful information to help you reunite with a
deployed family member.
Returning Home
Reunions following deployment are usually eagerly anticipated by all. However,
they are sometimes more complicated than we may think. When welcoming a loved
one who is returning from disaster relief work, keep the following in mind:
- Homecoming is more than an event; it is a process of reconnection for your
family and loved one.
-
Though coming home represents a return to safety, security, and return to
“normal,” the routines at home are markedly different than life in a disaster
zone.
-
In your loved one’s absence, you and your family members have assumed many
roles and functions that may have to now be renegotiated. Be patient during
this period and recognize that many things do not return, at least
immediately, to what they previously were like.
- Go slowly. Your returning loved one, you, and your family need time—time
together if possible— before exposure to the demands of the larger community,
friends, extended family, and coworkers.
Adjusting to Life at Home
In the disaster environment, it is
common to talk about things that
may be upsetting to people not
directly involved (e.g., dead bodies,
graphic images). Extreme care should
be taken by returning family members
(monitored by loved ones) to ensure
that relating experiences does not
unnecessarily upset or traumatize
others. This is especially important in
discussing the experience with, or in
the presence of, children.
-
Celebrating a homecoming is
important and should reflect your
own family’s style, preferences,
and traditions.
-
Talking about disaster experiences
is a personal and delicate subject.
Many people prefer to share such
experiences with a coworker or
friend. Some may want to talk
at length about their experience.
Sometimes the need/desire to talk
about experiences will vacillate
a great deal. Let your returning
loved one take the lead. Listening
rather than asking questions is the
guiding rule.
-
Keeping your social calendar fairly
free and flexible for the first weeks
after the homecoming is wise.
Respect the need for time alone
and time with especially important
people such as spouses. Explain to
those who may feel slighted that
this is a normal requirement of
returning personnel.
-
Your loved one may need time
to adjust to the local time zone,
as well as environmental changes
such as continuous noise or
interruption.
- Your children’s reactions may
not be what you or the returning
loved one may have expected or
desired. Very often children will
act shy at first. Older children
may feel and act angry because of
their parent’s absence. Be patient
and understanding concerning
reactions and give them time to
get reacquainted.
- Be flexible with reasonable
expectations. It is normal to
experience some disappointment
or let down when homecomings
are not what you had hoped.
The reality of homecoming and
reunion seldom match one’s
fantasies and preconceived
scenarios.
First Things First...
Before most recovery workers are ready
to return to normal work and family
duties, it is important to meet some
basic needs that are often neglected
during disaster deployment. These
include the following:
-
Maintaining a healthy diet, routine
exercise, and adequate rest/sleep
-
Spending time with family
and friends
-
Paying attention to health concerns
-
Meeting neglected daily personal
tasks (e.g., pay bills, mow lawn,
shop for groceries)
-
Reflecting upon what the
experience has meant personally
and professionally
-
Getting involved in personal and
family preparedness.
Signs of Stress
Following is a list that you may find
helpful in identifying signs of stress
in your family or returning loved one,
including:
-
Anxiety, fear
-
Grief, guilt, self-doubt, sadness
-
Irritability, anger, resentment,
increased conflicts with friends/
family
-
Increased use of alcohol or
other drugs
-
Feeling overwhelmed, hopeless,
despair, depressed
-
Anticipation of harm to self
or others; isolation or social
withdrawal
-
Insomnia
-
Gait change
-
Hyper-vigilance; startle reactions
-
Crying easily
-
Gallows/morbid humor
-
Ritualistic behavior
-
Memory loss, anomia (i.e.,
difficulty naming objects or people)
-
Calculation difficulties;
decisionmaking difficulties
-
Confusion in general and/or
confusing trivial with major issues
-
Concentration problems/distractibility
-
Reduced attention span and/or
preoccupation with disaster
- Recurring dreams or nightmares
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Fine motor tremors
- Tics or muscle twitches
- Paresthesia (e.g., numbness and
tingling in extremities)
- Profuse sweating
- Dizziness
- Stomach or gastrointestinal upset
- Heart Palpitations/fluttering
- Choking or smothering sensation
- Intrusive thoughts
- Relationship problems
- Job/school-related problems
- Decreased libido/sexual interest
- Appetite change
- Overly critical, blaming
- Decreased immune response.
Possible Redeployment
Leaving home once again and
returning to the site of a disaster
or other location is stressful for
everybody. It is a sad time, and it is
natural to feel sad, even to cry. You
have drawn close once again and
begun to establish routines. Your
loved one may psychologically and/or
emotionally distance himself/herself
in preparation for leaving. Try to
understand if this happens.
At the time of departure, it is
important that you let your loved
one know how proud you are of their sacrifice, and their commitment to
their job and country. Expressing
pride while saying goodbye is positive,
and will strengthen you, your
children and other family members,
and the departing family member.
When to Seek Help
Remember, pre- or post-deployment stress is a normal reaction to abnormal
situations like disasters. If you or a deployed family member experiences the
following signs of persistent or severe stress, seek help from a licensed mental
health professional.
- Disorientation (e.g., dazed, memory loss, unable to give date/ time or recall
recent events)
- Depression (e.g., pervasive feeling of hopelessness and despair, withdrawal
from others)
- Anxiety (e.g., constantly on edge, restless, obsessive fear of another
disaster)
-
Acute psychiatric symptoms (e.g., hearing voices, seeing visions, delusional
thinking)
-
Inability to care for self (e.g., not eating, bathing, changing clothing, or
handling daily life)
-
Suicidal or homicidal thoughts or plans
-
Problematic use of alcohol or drugs
-
Domestic violence, child abuse, or elder abuse
Getting Help
If you feel you need additional information, you may find this list of resources
to be helpful.
SAMHSA Resources
Information Clearinghouses
Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC)
(800) 308-3515
National Mental Health Information Center (NMHIC)
P.O. Box 42557, Washington, DC 20015
(800) 789-2647 (English and Español)
(866) 889-2647 (TDD)
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI)
P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345
(800)
729-6686 (English and Español)
(800)
487-4889 (TDD)
Treatment Locators
Mental Health Services Locator
(800) 789-2647 (English and Español)
(866) 889-2647 (TDD)
Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
(800) 662-HELP (4357) (Toll-Free, 24-Hour English and Español Treatment Referral
Service)
(800)
487-4889 (TDD)
Hotlines
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
(800)
273-TALK (8255)
(800)
799-4889 (TDD)
Other Federal Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Mental Health
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Federal Occupational Health Employee Assistance Program for Federal and Federalized Employees or
(800) 222-0364
(888) 262-7848 (TTY)
National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—Employee Assistance Program
(202) 690-8229
NMH05-0220
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