Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

VOLUNTEERS PROVIDING AND RECEIVING
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Chapter 9 Volunteers 169
An important area of consideration is providing mental health services to
survivors as well as to volunteers following a disaster. The ability of social
supports to protect mental health has been demonstrated repeatedly
(Somasundaram et al., 2005). Because disasters affect entire networks,
the need for mental health support may simply exceed its availability as
support networks become saturated (Somasundaram et al.). Therefore,
it is necessary to recruit social workers and psychologists to provide such
services and to ensure there will be enough professional volunteers ready
to mobilize when a disaster strikes.
Volunteers may also need mental health counseling. Even though
volunteers should receive training prior to a disaster, it is difficult to truly
understand how one will react when a crisis actually happens. Disasters
create an emotional experience and intense environment that is challenging
for some individuals, and so it is necessary to plan for mental
health assistance for volunteers (Novotney, 2008). As the weeks pass after
a disaster, many generous professional and volunteer helpers will still be
on the front lines. Unfortunately, during a crisis the emotional and physical
needs of those who help others are often forgotten (Center for Volunteer
and Nonprofit Leadership of Marin County, 1999).
The initially heightened level of helping and concern seldom lasts for
the full length of the recovery process (Somasundaram et al., 2005).
Perhaps the most important lesson learned from the research is that
the stress precipitated by catastrophic disasters is often long lasting
(Somasundaram et al.). Thus, the response to a disaster must include
ongoing attention to the psychological aspects of the event as part of the
overall emergency response (Somasundaram et al.).
When communities devise emergency plans, it is essential to ensure
there is a cadre of volunteer therapists who can provide mental health
services to the residents as well as to professionals and volunteers during
and after the crisis.
VOLUNTEERS AND POSTDISASTER WORK
The aftermath of a disaster may be when volunteers can be most useful.
Helping behavior and community cohesion are abundant initially, but