“I don’t even know their names,” said Dr. Monica Dremann, an American Red Cross Volunteer with the Disaster Mental health team. “We’re helping people who have pets and who also have difficulty moving around. Functional needs are an issue in shelters.”
By Darrell Fuller, American Red Cross volunteer
Psychologist Dr. Monica Dremann got to Fort Myers just a few days after Hurricane Ian, offering her skills as a mental health professional to help shelter residents with emotional struggles in the wake of the historic storm.
But at an American Red Cross shelter in Fort Myers, she could sometimes be found outside walking a dog, or even a couple of little dogs.
“I don’t even know their names,” she said, chuckling. “We’re helping people who have pets and who also have difficulty moving around. Functional needs are an issue in shelters.”
When not volunteering for the Red Cross, Dr. Dremann works from home in Los Angeles, providing web-based counseling services. “It allows me to help people I would never have been able to see in a traditional in-office setting,” she said.
“Pets are so important to people. They provide comfort and a sense of normal for people displaced by Hurricane Ian. Having them in a separate room or a different building just doesn’t work. Pets provide disaster mental health care in a way I can’t.”
Dr. Dremann practices what she preaches about self-care. “I get a mental health break just by walking them outside and getting some fresh air.”
She’s not the only Red Cross volunteer walking dogs these days.
“Dog walking is not an official Red Cross volunteer position. We’re just starting this co-location and cohabitation with pets (in shelters), so it’s new to everyone. It’s a work in progress but a very welcome one,” said Esther Cordero-Richardson, pet liaison at the Red Cross disaster response headquarters. “We all know that caring for an evacuee’s entire family is truly a part of the Red Cross mission, and we’re evolving our services to meet the needs of shelter residents.”
American Red Cross relief is free to anyone with disaster-caused needs, thanks to the generosity of the American people. To become a trained disaster volunteer, like Dr. Dremann, go to redcross.org/volunteer or call 1-800-REDCROSS.
If you would like to support the Hurricane Ian response financially, visit redcross.org, text the words IAN to 90999 to make a $10 donation, or call 1-800-HELP NOW.