Respite is Essential
Respite care is considered an essential service. If families are in the need of help during this time of shelter in place, we can help you find respite resources and funds. It may even be more critical now than ever to help support funding for respite care for more families.
When respite is needed during this time of social distancing, extra precautions need to be taken into consideration. Do not engage in respite needs if anyone in your home is sick or feeling sick. If you are all well, your respite provider will still wear a mask and practice handwashing measures are required by the CDC until the guidelines are changed..
A post-pandemic study found that 30% of children who had been quarantined or experienced isolation met diagnostic criteria for post -traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that their levels of stress were four times as high as children who had not experienced those same disease-containment measures. One in four parents who had been quarantined or socially isolated reported levels of stress that met PDSD diagnostic criteria.
These rates can be reduced with respite support for families through mental health treatment and prevention strategies.
Mental Health Treatment and Prevention Strategies
According to the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, over the next 12 months there will be a substantial increase in childhood mental health needs. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the physical healthy of Oklahomans, but the threat of the virus and the social distancing measures that minimize its effects also will lead to increases in mental health challenges, including anxiety and loneliness.
An expert of this report is shown below:
The Impact of Anxiety, Stress and Fear related to COVID-19
The spread of COVID-19 disease can significantly impact the composition of the family and affect its short and long term functioning, thereby negatively impacting the social and emotional well-being of the children and youth. Parents and caregivers may be unable to provide care due to illness, health, or their own psychological distress. A lack of responsive care from a parent or caregiver who is experiencing a high level of stress or who is absent because of illness or death can activate a child's stress response system.
You can read more information regarding this topic in the Tulsa World Article linked below.Tulsa World Article