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Katrina Aid Today Case Managers Help Survivors Cope With Mental Stress

Posted on: Wednesday, 27 December 2006, 12:02 CST

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When one of Bob Lowery's elderly clients in Pascagoula, Miss., called him, clearly distressed, earlier this month he knew there was a problem. He rushed to meet her at the local Staples store.

"She told me that she had really gotten upset in a store," said Mr. Lowery, a Lutheran Episcopal Services case manager based in Jackson, Miss. "When I asked her about it, she said, 'I went there and they had Christmas trees. I wasn't ready for Christmas trees.' People's nerves are on edge. They never dreamed they would still be in FEMA (U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency) trailers this long."

With the holidays upon us, Hurricane Katrina survivors who have not fully recovered more than a year after the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast of the United States, are still coping with the psychological aspects of the storm.

Katrina Aid Today is a project of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) facilitated by FEMA. The consortium has more than 1,400 full-time and volunteer trained disaster recovery case managers, like Mr. Lowery, working in 32 states. They help survivors define the things that are holding them back from rebuilding their lives and then assist them in mapping out an "action plan for recovery."

"We're seeing many clients who have no direction and don't know where to turn," said Katrina Aid Today Case Management Technical Supervisor, Stephen Carr. "The long-term recovery plans offer them a road map that actually lowers their fear and anxiety level."

Both Carr and Lowery agree that it's sometimes hard to convince clients that a mental health issue exists, but case managers are trained to recognize the symptoms of anxiety and gently recommend that some sort of treatment might be necessary.

"Some clients will tell me emphatically that they are not depressed," said Lowery. "I give them the information and tell them if they changed their mind the services are available. All I can do is help them access to the resources they need."

UMCOR is the humanitarian relief and development agency of the United Methodist Church, a worldwide denomination. Since 1940, UMCOR has provided practical support to survivors of natural and civil disasters to alleviate human suffering, without regard to a survivor's religion, race, gender or national origin.

Katrina Aid Today

CONTACT: Enid Johnson of Katrina Aid Today, +1-202-955-5072

Web site: http://www.katrinaaidtoday.org/

Source: PRNewswire-USNewswire

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