As a Global IT Manager with young children during the 9/11 crisis I have come to realize the value of some of our crisis management skills to your company, your community, and your family. So when our world changed with the World Health Coronavirus, most of the people we work with, live near, and are responsible for, are facing a level of fear, uncertainty and doubt of epic proportion. Most of what we face has less to do with “technical issues and ticket handling” and more to do with caring for one another, being calm, and focusing on what is needed right now. Things that are normal business as usual, are more difficult, tempers are shot, worries are high.
- Considerate and caring RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
- Compassionate and clear COMMUNICATION
- Flexible and Creative CRISIS IDENTIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT
- Considerate Corporate, Community and Family Focused SELF CARE, CONTROL AND AWARENESS
How we can raise our family, our community, our country and our world to heal, and offer value to deal with the Business, Social, Economic, and world health issues, the scale of which far exceeds the impact of the 9/11 crisis that forever changed the familiar routines, roles and lifestyles we were accustomed to.
The Coronavirus has had immediate impact world wide, that stands to last several more months at least. A world impact that has devastated the supply chain, put entire states in quarantine, struggling for money for food, treatment, and health/behavioral resources.
April is Autism Awareness month, but the need is now. We will start early as it is too important to share some near term resources and impacts for the families in our World Community who are suffering.
Centers for Disease Control are looking at statistics for the age of patient who suffers most with symptoms. However in the case of a family with elderly at risk members, and caregiver responsibilities for Autism Spectrum Family members, the “sick day” luxury is not an option for the caregiver, and most certainly is a risk and challenge to the families that are juggling the many difficulties of a traditional family with exponential impacts of keeping their Autism Spectrum Family members supported with reduced medical care, behavioral treatment, cancellations of schools, challenges getting food, staples and basic needs, increased anxiety for ASD patients unsettled by the disruption of their familiar routines.
Challenges for traditional families are disruptive with challenges in work/financial, health/medication, childcare, and education issues. As the Coronavirus impact incident and impact heated up, add to these issues the heightened challenges of foraging for layoffs, job loss, shelter at home, quarantine with flu symptoms without income, food, medicine, cleaning supplies due to supply chain and shelter at home orders magnified the problem.
Patients on the Autism Spectrum do not do well on a disrupted schedule. Let us consider how we can serve the needs of those who suffer and worry greatly about how they can manage the new routine devastation that is unsettling for everyone, ,but even more so for those who are caregivers for, or patients with autism. Disruption to schedule, routine, therapy, school, shelter at home, manage their families, work, health, how to feed their family and how to get food to their elderly who face larger crisis from shopping and lack of nutrition, keep their family member’s safe and healthy.
As more schools face closure leaving the year finished incomplete, implies an increase in food insecurity, in addition to modifying routines for therapy and continued education at home, or holding back students with no distance learning program. Strategies for managing during the Coronavirus Pandemic, involve helping our families com together and adjust to
- Staying home and disinfecting “High-Touch” surfaces keep your home environment clean
- Understanding clinical healthcare and practicing Social Distancing
- Focus on getting enough sleep to help your immune system (For ASD patients, here are some options)
- Eat microbiome healthy well-balanced meals
- COVID -19 Family Autism Resources Practice good hygiene habits
- Handwashing Visual Steps & Handwashing Guide for Families
- Cover your mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth with unwashed hands or after touching surfaces
- Call before visiting your doctor
- Be a great example your calm leadership will ease disruption
Here are some resources for COVID-19 that might be useful for our Autism Community, if you have additional resources that can help our education, healthcare, families, and community worldwide:
- Action Kit from Unicef for Schools and families facing School Closure
- COVID -19 Family Autism Resources
- How to Explain a Global Health Crisis to Children with Autism
- US Dept. of Education Q&A on Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During the Coronavirus Disease Outbreak
- Wandering Prevention while on shelter in the Home:
COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST:
Worldwide Health and Wellness : Facebook | LinkedIn
Pingback: June: Autism Awareness Center of Excellence Founders Day! – TRIZY