Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Detecting and Preventing Suicide among Teenagers


Melissa Ridenour

According to both the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Center for Disease Control, suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth ages 15 to 24. Teen suicide affects everyone. Family and friends feel a guilty sense that if they had only done something different, the suicide could have been prevented. Therefore, it’s important to understand its causes, how to detect potential suicidal vulnerability, and how to help prevent it.

Causes of Teen Suicide
As teens grow up, they often feel stress, self-doubt, confusion, social and interaction problems with friends, peer pressure, concerns about succeeding, and pressure to meet parental expectations. Some teens suffer from clinical depression as well. Most teenagers experience such feelings to a certain degree at some point in their growing years. Those who are overwhelmed with such feelings and are unable to deal with them are more at risk for suicide.

There are several causes for teenagers to potentially want to take their own lives. Anxiety or depression left untreated can be a contributing factor. Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and worthlessness can cause teenagers to contemplate ending their lives. Other contributing factors are lack of success in school, bullying at school, violence at home, divorce, death of a loved one, rejection by peers, and the suicide of a friend.

According to the Center for Disease Control, such pressures of life make it too difficult for some teens to cope. As a result, sometimes overwhelmed teens welcome suicide as an escape from the pressure and pain.

Detecting Teen Depression and Potentially Suicidal Teens
According the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, parents should be on the lookout for specific signs in their children that could be indicators for a potential suicide risk. Such indicators include withdrawal from family and friends, as well as a lack of interest in activities the teens formerly enjoyed. Parents should look for any change in eating and sleeping habits or in hygiene and personal appearance.

In addition, parents should watch for personality changes and rebellious or violent behavior. Difficulty concentrating, decline in the quality of school work, and persistent boredom and malaise are possible signs as well. Persistent complaints of stomach aches, headaches and fatigue could be symptoms of emotional problems that can be signs of potential suicidal tendencies.

Equally important signs to watch for include statements from teens that they are bad and that they feel terrible inside. Other verbal hints include such statements as, “I won’t be a problem for you much longer. It’s no use. Nothing matters anyway.” Such statements from teens are clear indicators that they may be at least contemplating suicide.

If teenagers start giving away cherished possessions or throwing away favorite belongings, a way of getting their affairs in order, parents should consider such behavior an indicator of the risk for suicide. In addition, parents should watch for any signs of hallucinations or bizarre or strange thoughts.

Teen Suicide Prevention
According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, if teens threaten to commit suicide, parents should take the threat seriously and immediately seek professional help from a qualified mental health professional. Parents should not hesitate to ask their teens if they have suicidal thoughts. Such a question will not put the idea into children’s heads, but will, instead, assure teens that someone cares and open up an opportunity for discussion about it.

Parents should determine if their teens are suffering from depression and, if so, get medical treatment for the depression. Counseling is a good preventive strategy for depressed or potentially suicidal teens as well. Counseling can provide teens with coping strategies for dealing with their life problems. Frequently, once teens learn how to cope with problems, their suicidal desires dissipate.

It is essential for parents to treat their teens with understanding, compassion and respect. Parents should demonstrate unconditional love, offer emotional support, and make their teens feel important, loved and wanted. Parents should demonstrate to their teens that overcoming their problems and life challenges is possible and that they will help them with such challenges.

Resources
Related information can be found in the articles, “Coping with a Bully: How to Stop Bullying” and “Strategies for Dealing with a Bully Dilemma”. The article, “Dealing with Grief” provides related information about dealing with the death of a loved one.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Homeowner's Responsibilities When Contracting A Crime Scene Cleanup Project

It would be an encompassing statement to say that no one is quite prepared to deal with a crime scene, particularly if it involves a homicide or a violent crime. For one thing, only a few people could even consider how to restore a home back to its previous state before the crime. A more distressing fact would be the reality that the people who are left with the task of cleaning up blood, human remains and other parts or fluids have to deal with all these gore left by someone they knew or is part of their family. Not only would this be emotionally tasking, it is quite hazardous as well.

During the past several years or so, the task of cleaning up after a violent death or a messy crime is left in the hands of family members or friends. Although they do not have to deal with the body itself, the remnants of possibly biohazardous materials and waste can put the health of cleaners at risks. In this area, professional crime scene cleanup services can be hired to perform and deal with the legal, emotional and safety aspects of a crime-scene cleanup. These professionals can deal with biohazards and are equipped to clean and dispose of such wastes.

The following is a brief discussion about crime scene cleanup work and how homeowners can get the proper services they would need should their household be involved in a violent or gruesome crime. Hiring the services of these professionals can spare these homeowners from the emotional agony of doing the cleanup themselves, however, there are certain things that homeowners are responsible for and should consider first before hiring these cleanup services.

A Background on Crime Scene Cleanup Services
Crime scene cleaning involves restoring the scene of the crime back to its normal state after officials have completed their investigative work and required information and necessary evidences have been collected and properly documented.

It was only recently when crime scene cleaning came to be known as CTS or Crime and Trauma Scene Decontamination. The main focus for this kind of work is to decontaminate the crime scene from possible biohazardous materials and remnants particularly those resulting from a violent crime or those involving illegal substances and other chemicals. Crime scene cleaners are trained to detect and clean potential biohazards, even those small enough and invisible to the naked eye.

These professionals have a unique set of characteristics to be able to deal with the rigors of this chosen field. They not only have the stomach to endure death and gore, technical enough to handle biohazards, but should also be sensitive enough to be sensitive and discreet to the family members left behind. These people would like to make a difference for the community by helping out grieving families in cleaning up their homes.

Crime scene services are on call for emergencies and can respond anytime whenever there is a crime scene. However, it should be noted that the crime scene cleanup crews are not in any way involved in the legal and investigative aspects of the job. Cleanup services also do not deal with the body directly as this is handled by the coroner or medical examiner, but they can deal with body remnants and by-products no matter what stage of decomposition the body was at the moment of discovery.

Crime Scene Cleanup Services and Your Insurance Coverage
Nobody would be certain about eventualities in the future, but it would always be the best approach to be ready for anything, and this includes clauses for crime cleanup services in your insurance coverage. In recent years, the inclusion of this clause in a homeowner's insurance policy has been a standard practice, however, it would still be wise to make sure that it is indeed included in your policies and are covered when such unforeseen events take place.

What to Look for when Hiring Crime Scene Cleanup Services
Although several companies have emerged in this line of business, finding the ideal company could still be a very taxing and complicated endeavor for a homeowner, particularly if he or she also has to deal with the emotional stress as a result of the crime. These companies have competitive prices for their services, which usually run in the average of $600 an hour. The price may be steep, but a homeowner should consider the emotional agony and biohazard risk should they opt to do the cleanup on their own.

When hiring a company, you should look for a group that has considerable experience and know-how in this line of work, particularly those with a good reputation in the field. This may cost you at the higher end of the bracket but the services you can get can be headache free and reassuring. These companies are on call 24 hours a day and have available websites and online resources.

Some companies already offer a list of specific prices for a particular scenario or crime scene, but it would always be a wise move to ask for price quotes after a thorough assessment of the scope of work. Most significant factors in pricing would be the amount of personnel needed to complete the task and how long the crew can perform the task completely. The amount of waste or gross factor can also determine the price quotations. As a rule of thumb, the more experience the company has and the more advance the type of equipments they use can determine the price ranges you may get.

Homeowner's Responsibilities when Hiring Cleanup Services
The following are some responsibilities that a homeowner has when selecting for a cleanup services that he or she will hire.

* The crime scene cleanup crew is called in only after the investigators and law officials have given the go signal to start filming.

* As mentioned earlier, crime scenes can involve hazardous materials and waste so the crime scene cleanup company you will hire should have the proper gear and equipment for these types of jobs.

* Crime scenes, particularly those involving violent death and crime, can have bodily fluid remnants as well as blood and tissues left at the scene of the crime. These are considered biohazards and should be handled safely. You should make sure that the companies you are selecting are capable and knowledgeable to deal and handle biohazard materials.

* The company should know what to search for when looking for biohazard materials during cleanup. They should be able to determine and interpret possible splatters of biohazard materials within the crime scene, and be able to establish the extent of the cleanup work your crime scene would require.

* It is the homeowner's responsibility to check if these crime scene cleanup services have the proper permits as required by your state.

* Wearing safety gears should be a prerequisite for the crew of the crime scene before starting with any of their cleanup work. In modern times, disposable protective gears are preferred, since they can offer the best protection against contamination. Protective clothing includes gloves, suits, respirators, and chemical resistant boots.

* The crime scene cleanup company should make use of special cleaning tools like customized brushes, special sprayers and wet/dry vacuum cleaners. These tools prevent direct contact by the crewmember to the hazardous materials. Some of these special tools include a steam injection tool that is used in sanitizing dried biohazard remnants. The company should also have special tanks and dispensers for treatment chemicals, including the waste containers where the biohazard wastes are to be collected. Homeowners should make sure that these companies have these equipments.

* Aside from the specialized tools, the cleanup crew should also have available supplies and cleaning products. Materials that should be included are industrial strength disinfectants, and should include hydrogen peroxide and other bleaches. To clean bloodstains, the crew should use enzyme solvers, which can also clean viruses and bacteria. To deal with the foul odor left by the crime scene, the cleanup company should have foggers, deodorizers and ozone machines.

* Crime scene cleanup services should be equipped with proper cameras to document the crime scene before the actual work can start. These photos can be used for legal matters and can be utilized for insurance purposes. As a back up, homeowners can take the photos themselves, but some may be too emotionally stressed by the situation and may not be able to take even the simplest of shots.

* Since the crime scene cleanup company is dealing with biohazard materials, the homeowner should ensure that the company is equipped with the proper containers and specialized transportation equipment that ordinary cleaning and janitorial services may not have. This is to prevent exposure of the biohazard materials to the general public and cause health risks.

Choosing the proper and most qualified crime scene cleanup worker is a responsibility by the homeowners to spare themselves and their families or friends the additional anguish of having to deal with the cleanup work on their own. Hiring a cleanup company to deal with the crime scene involves not only choosing a qualified crew with specialized trainings, but they should also be a crew that has a sympathetic nature and should thread the crime site with respect.

Visit the American Bio Recovery Association, a nationwide non profit association for further assistance at www.americanbiorecovery.org

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Clutter is just the start for local hoarders


The Virginian-Pilot
By Nora Firestone
Correspondent

Margie Gummo fingered the holes in her 45-year-old sweater. She was finally giving in to her daughter's repeated request to discard it. Gummo hates to waste anything - always has.

"It still keeps me warm," she said, admittedly embarrassed by the irrationality.

The path from the front door to the spare bedroom of her Virginia Beach home, where she sat trying to make sense of it all, remained clear. But she shar ed the couch with crumpled blankets and various displaced items. Other surfaces harbored more papers, books, clothing and "stuff" than she could manage.

Throughout the house things inhabited the spaces where people once communed. Gummo had succumbed to debilitating anxiety and depression, initially extensions of a lifelong struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder and compounded in 1999 by three significant losses: the death of her father, separation from her husband and relinquishment of the couple's planned "dream home."

"It was a lot to deal with," she recalled.

Fresh tears reflected the ongoing impact of past trauma. She's since lacked the mental, physical and emotional energy needed to keep up with the material stuff of daily life.

Gummo's standard for keeping up would be considered unreasonable by most. Her untreated OCD had always been an internal slave driver, undermining her judgment with a constant and negative critique of everything she did and thought.

The house was "never clean enough" while her children were growing up.

She'd vacuum constantly, scrub the same surfaces repeatedly and agonize for hours over things being misaligned or "out of balance," she said.

The house appeared meticulously clean, but at a grave and concealed cost. Gummo battled relentless self-badgering. Time she spent tending to objects meant time away from nurturing relationships.

Everybody suffered, whether or not they understood the dynamics or foresaw the impact.



Facing the problem

With an understanding of the history, the irony computes.

Gummo's surroundings have spiraled from overly controlled to out of control, yet the two remain poles of the same tense coil.

She recalled her son's perspective: "He left for college in 2000 and 'came back to a disaster,' " Gummo said. "The hoarding had started. "

Her dining room, family room and kitchen no longer function as purposed. Today, they warehouse knee-high stacks of unread newspapers, neat piles and boxes of things she's compelled to save, and bags of items that she'd like to donate - once she finds the "right" recipients. All along this spiral are the lines between reasonable and unreasonable actions, drawn with the marker of irrational thought.

Gummo, 62, has no problem discarding newspapers and magazines after she's read them cover to cover. Until they've been used up, they're "still useful," she said. Discarding them prematurely "feels wasteful," she said. Receipts for minor purchases made in the '90s should be OK to throw away, she thinks, but might she need one someday? Regardless, they're paper, with which she has difficulty parting.

"It's ingrained in me. I don't want to waste anything," she explained. "It's part of hoarding. But how many paper clips or rubber bands do I really need?"

Gummo's embarrassed, ashamed. She knows better, she said. People view compulsive hoarding as laziness or a lack of willpower.

"They say, 'You can get rid of stuff if you wanted to,' " she noted. "Easy to say, hard to do. The hoarder has to be in control of throwing things out, or at least give permission for someone else to do it."

Daughter Melissa Gummo, 23, feels frustration when she'd rather feel a bond.

The recent college graduate moved back home temporarily but can't have friends over because she's embarrassed. She eats out or from the freezer's lot of microwaveable meals "because the kitchen's a mess," she said. Years of environmental dysfunction have left her feeling unprepared for the future.

Even away at college, she felt socially impaired, she said.

"I'd never learned how to entertain in my own place," she said.

Melissa doesn't accept her mother's claim that hoarding is a disorder. She believes it's a choice.

"I think it's something that's all in (her) head, because everybody can have OCD tendencies" and not everyone hoards, she said.



Understanding the hoarder

"It's all in the head" is a common misconception by observers, said Lisa Zocco, a Norfolk-based licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in treating people with anxiety disorders and OCD, many of whom also hoard.

"People don't realize how disabling (hoarding) can be," Zocco said. "It's not a willpower issue. It's not about just throwing out the items; there's a whole way of thinking and behaving associated with how things are discarded."

Hoarding is considered a medical disorder, Zocco said, and is most often accompanied by medical and/or mental issues, including physical illness or disability, anxiety disorders, depression, brain injury or dementia.

People who hoard "tend to have difficulty processing information or making decisions, and many are lonely and socially isolated," she said. Some don't see it as a problem. Studies suggest a familial, or maybe genetic, component, as well.

Kit Anderson, a certified professional organizer in chronic disorganization and president of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, a nonprofit organization, coined the term "overwhelm paralysis" to describe the shift to compulsive hoarding.

"They finally get to the point where the brain says, 'I'm not going there,' " she said. "There's a real paralysis that sets in, and it's very, very real - and it becomes impossible."

The study group examines "why people are disorganized and what special techniques and approaches are needed for them to be successful," Anderson said. It provides training and certification, based on the latest research by leading authorities, to professional organizers.

The group defines compulsive hoarding according to three characteristics outlined by experts Randy O. Frost and Tamara Hartl, Ph.D., "The accumulation and failure to discard a large number of possessions that appear to most people to be useless or of limited value; extensive clutter in living spaces that precludes activities for which the rooms were designed; and significant distress or impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding."

A free "hoarding scale," available at www.nsgcd.org, can help people determine the difference between common clutter/collecting and hoarding, and how problematic the behavior might be.

Gummo hoards the most commonly saved items: papers, clothing, boxes and bags. She does not save kitchen and bathroom trash or old food, and she does wash her dishes and clothes.

"I don't think I'd ever become a far out, full-fledged hoarder, because I know too much about the condition," she said.

Help and hope

Early warning signs of compulsive hoarding may include compulsive acquiring that impedes into or affects daily functioning, excessive storage in outside units or even digital medium, difficulty throwing out things that others wouldn't keep, avoidance and financial difficulties.

Hoarding can begin with simple procrastination or attention deficit disorder, said Nancy Watson of Virginia Beach, a certified professional organizer in chronic disorganization and founder of Harmony at Home Organizing.

In its early stages hoarding can often be managed with the assistance of a professional organizer trained in chronic disorganization. More serious cases, marked by potential health and safety hazards, often require medical- and mental-health assessment and treatment by a mental-health professional, Watson said.

Hazards can include the presence of pests, unsanitary conditions, blocked passageways, unusable appliances and home systems, structural overburden and fire-safety violations.

Cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention - the gradual exposure to the anxiety-provoking condition and support in resisting the usual response - are the recommended treatment approaches, Zocco said. Medication can alleviate some of the related distress.

But a client must be willing to accept help, Watson said. Family members shouldn't overstep boundaries by clearing out the home or criticizing.

"It's a very sensitive issue, because the hoarding has to do with an inappropriate relationship with stuff," she said. "They don't trust people, so they invest and engage with stuff because it's 'safe.' "

The hoarder's boundaries, pace and "rules" must be respected within an established, trust-based rapport, she cautioned.

"It's an ongoing process," added Mary Frances Ballard of Orderly Places, a Newport News-based professional organizer with National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization training. "It takes time to establish that rapport and to train them in the process of letting go and what to keep and how to keep it.

"It's most helpful when they let it go and know that it's going to a higher use," Ballard explained.

Keys to success for hoarders include motivation, the assistance of experienced professionals and "love, support and understanding from loved ones," Zocco said.

Gummo said she feels good about recent achievements: letting go of her 45-year-old sweater, cleaning out a closet and raking leaves outside. She's learned to make short, manageable to-do lists, to praise herself for progress and to avoid some predictable pitfalls.

She has cancelled all magazine subscriptions. If she goes away she has undelivered newspapers credited to her account rather than held for her return.

But it's a daily struggle.

"I know I'm not alone in this, yet I feel like I'm alone," Gummo said. "I don't want to be criticized, I want to be understood. I want to overcome this."

Friday, June 12, 2009

Offering service to aid people in some of life’s most difficult moments


By DAN KEGLEY/Staff

Funeral directors understand the quandary facing new business owners Kenny Lyles and son-in-law Wes Price of Chilhowie, but even undertakers have an easier time of marketing their services. After all, everyone will need their help sometime. Death is, of course, inevitable and solicitation of end-of-life accommodations is almost equally so.

It’s the means of death or serious injury that creates both the need for Lyles and Price’s service and their difficulty in offering it. As Lyles said this week, they’re in a Catch 22, stuck between a rock and a hard place.
At considerable investment of time and personal expense, they have become trained and certified to offer a humanitarian service few people will ever need and none want to think about until they need it.

This fall, they started Mountain Empire Bio-Recovery Inc. They are technicians trained in cleaning up what can be a considerable amount of human bodily fluid, bone and tissue and residual contamination where murders, suicides, unattended deaths, and even non-fatal but bloody injuries and accidents happen.
For family members faced with these situations, especially fatalities, cleaning up after them can add levels of abhorrent trauma on top of the loss itself.

Sometimes good can come from tragedy, and the community has sought long and hard for any good to be found in a violent murder of a family in Seven Mile Ford three years ago. Lyles and Price got the inspiration for their service after a man shot to death a couple and their young child in 2005.

“After the scene was released by the investigators it was left for the family and there was no one to clean it up,” Price said in a recent e-mail. “We vowed then that no family should be left with the horrifying task of cleaning up a scene like that and have devoted our time to become trained in the bio-recovery field.”
Price said he and Lyles researched and found a school teaching bio-recovery in South Carolina and learned there how complex a task it can be.
“We thought we’d take a bucket of water and some bleach and that would be it,” Price said. Not even close. Organic matter soon deactivates bleach, Lyles said, rendering a mop bucket full of water impotent to disinfect and creating instead a new means of spreading contamination.

And there can be plenty of that. Many disease organisms can survive in suspended animation outside the body for long periods, awaiting reintroduction into a new host. Price said while the floor can look clean, it can harbor viruses that can transfer to children’s toys, for example, and then to children who put the toys in their mouths. More directly, small children often put their mouths directly on floors.

Lyles and Price got a real education in infectious disease management and decontamination technology to go with their certification by the National Institute of Decontamination Specialists and the American Bio-recovery Association. They gained OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) compliance in standards for handling bloodborne pathogens, hazard communications, respiratory protection, industrial site lockout/tagout procedure, and confined space operations.
Those last two items enable them to respond to work sites where bad things happen to people using machines.

OSHA is serious about making sure people know how to handle bloodborne pathogens, imposing fines as high as $70,000 for violations of standards of the OSHA regulation whose number Price can recite without effort: “29CFR1910:1030.”
“We learned a lot,” Lyles said.

What they learned, they said, made obvious that carpet cleaning services probably are not addressing the full scope of contamination when they respond to accident and death scenes.“A thumbnail-size spot of blood will contaminate a two-foot wide area under the carpet,” Price said, necessitating carpet removal and direct cleaning of the surface below.

He and Lyles can handle that as well as a much more involved scenario that is tough to merely read about, the contamination potential of body that goes undiscovered. “Fluids from an unattended death in two weeks can seep through the floor to the ground,” Price said.

Among its many steps, decontamination involves ensuring the environment at clean-up is identical to its state when the trauma occurred. For example, Price said, the temperature need to be the same. If it is colder, pores in surfaces close, trapping molecules of substances that can later emit odors. Even the ozone machine they employ can’t reach into closed pores, he said.
Police are highly protective of crime scenes until investigators can glean from the physical evidence all they need. After that, the scene is released to the family, or to the business if the event happens in the workplace. In that instance, too many managers have employees just mop up, a practice that is unlikely to disinfect the scene.

Families should not have to deal with that aspect of a death, Lyles and Price believe. “People have to go on with making funeral arrangements,” Price said. “They can turn [cleanup] over to us. We can get in as soon as it is released.”

Their training involved hand-on exercises. One scenario presented a suicide by shotgun, another a stabbing. Hog blood and organs were reasonable facsimiles for their human counterparts in what instructors told them was a pretty realistic presentation of what the students would encounter in practice.

Lyles and Price incorporated their business Aug. 1 and are awaiting their first call to service, and that’s how they view it. Despite a collective investment of some $14,000 in education and equipment, they’ll operate much as rescue squads do. Mountain Empire Bio-Recovery will bill homeowners’ insurance they say covers their work. “Ninety-nine percent of the time it is not coming out of the homeowner’s pocket,” Price said. They’ll even handle the billing.

However, payment is not a consideration, they said. They’ll work for the uninsured and those unable to pay just the same as for the insured.
Lyles and Price’s marketing quandary involves their desire to remain tactful in promoting a service for needs that remain largely unthinkable. No one expects to face cleanup after violence or accidents.

“We understand that our business is one that is not the type that you can make flyers and use for advertising, but there is a need for these services and families are not aware that they are available,” Price said.
The men are directly contacting law enforcement agencies in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee, and plan to make connections with rescue squads and other first responders.

dkegley@wythenews.com

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Why you need crime scene cleanup services

By Alex Thomson

Crime scene cleanup or trauma scene cleanup after the death of someone either violently or naturally is by and large the responsibility of the victim’s family. Even till few years ago, there were a handful of cleaning companies that specialized in trauma cleaning service. But today this niche service has emerged as a lucrative business and there are many companies who provide this service.

Trauma cleaning service requires special experience, skills, equipment and expertise to deal with different types of bio-hazardous waste and dispose them efficiently with the minimum possible emotional stress to the victim’s family.

The most traumatic form of death is violent death and leaves the victim’s family feeling both victimized and traumatized. Coming to terms with the unnatural death of a loved one is in itself an uphill task for the bereaved family, and to top it they have to deal with other practical matters like making funeral arrangements, dealing with insurance issues, contacting surviving family and friends and locating wills. Furthermore, in case of violent crimes the police and the media are also involved. This can really overwhelm any family. Here is where trauma cleaning service comes to your rescue. They lighten one of the heaviest burdens, that is of dealing with the horrid murder cleanup. They will take care of the crime scene cleanup, ensuring that the scene is restored to its pre-incidental state as far as possible and in the most quick and efficient manner thus allowing you to deal with other important matters. Most service providers work discreetly and protect the confidentiality of the sufferer and family.

Most of the times, the crime scenes are so ghastly that they can induce additional emotional trauma in victim’s friends and family. By hiring professionals for cleanup, you can reduce this emotional stress. Immediately after death the nature begins its process of breaking down the body. Unattended death scene and dead bodies can be dangerous as it gives rise to blood borne pathogens, mold spores and bacteria. You may try to clean the area by yourself but the exposure may result in flu-like diseases or direct attack on the respiratory system. So it is advisable to leave this job to professionals who specialize in bio fluid and blood remediation.

The total cost involving a trauma scene cleanup will depend on a number of factors. One of the most major factors is that how many technicians will be needed for the job, how long will the job take and the quantity of hazardous material that needs to be treated and disposed of. It can range anywhere in the range of $100 to $1000 per hour. Some people might call this business as capitalizing on death but it is still essential and indispensable in case of a death.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Crime Scene Cleanup: What It Involves


A crime scene cleanup service is not without its complications. Crime scene cleaning encompasses restoring the crime scene to its original state. When a crime is usually discovered, crime scene cleaners are not called until after officers of the law, like the crime scene investigators, have done their jobs first and have given the go ahead for the cleaners to come in. If you intend to hire a crime scene cleanup company, you must make sure that they are well equipped and fit right to get the job done. A crime scene presents challenging conditions.

The Use Of Protective Gears:
Crime scenes can very well involve the use of hazardous or deadly substances. For safety reasons then, it has become imperative that crime scene cleaners use protective clothing, in addition to protective tools and gadgets. You must see to it that they have all the necessary protective gears and gadgets. The protective clothing can consist of disposable gloves and suits. A disposable gear is preferred nowadays since it offers the best protection against contamination. You use it one time and get rid of it. That way, the dangers of contamination is virtually brought down to zero percent. Protective clothing extends to respirators and the use of heavy-duty industrial or chemical-spill protective boots.

Among the gadgets that a crime scene cleaning company must have are special brushes, special sprayers, and wet vacuum. These special tools ensure added protection against getting into contact with the hazard could very well be present in the crime scene. There is large, special equipment such as a mounted steam injection tool that is designed to sanitize dried up biohazard materials such as scattered flesh and brain. You would also need to check if they have the specialized tank for chemical treatments and industrial strength waste containers to collect biohazard waste.

Of course, any crime scene clean up must have the usual cleaning supplies common to all cleaning service companies. There are the buckets, mops, brushes and spray bottles. For cleaning products, you should check if they use industrial cleaning products. A crime scene cleaning company must have these on their lists:

1 - Disinfectants including hydrogen peroxide and bleaches - The kinds that the hospitals used are commonly acceptable.

2 - Enzyme solvers for cleaning blood stains. It also kills viruses and bacteria.

3 - Odor removers such as foggers, ozone machines, and deodorizers

4 - Handy tools for breaking and extending such as saws, sledgehammers, and ladders

Established crime scene operators also equip themselves with cameras and take pictures of the crime scene before commencing work which. The pictures taken may prove useful for legal matters and insurance purposes. You never know which.

Needless to say, a specially fitted form of transportation and proper waste disposal is also needed. These requirements are specific. As you can imagine, crime scene cleaning is in a different category on its own. A home cleaning or janitorial service company may not be able to cope up with the demands of a crime scene. A crime scene cleanup service requires many special gears and tools that a home cleaning or a janitorial service company does not usually have or does not require. Crime scene cleaning if not done correctly can expose the public to untold hazards.

What Else To Look For In A Crime Scene Cleanup Company
You may also want to hire a company that has established itself. An experienced company with a strong reputation is always a plus but it could be expensive too. You will do well to balance your needs with what is your budget. There are several companies that offer specific prices such as for death scene clean up categories and suicide clean up categories. Most companies own a website and have round the clock customer service as receptionists.

When looking for a suitable crime scene cleaning service, among the first things you need to do is to scout for price quotes. Crime scene cleanup services usually provide quote after they have examined the crime scene and then they give you a definite quote. Factors that are usually considered include the number of personnel that will be needed to get the job done. It also includes the amount of time that might be needed. The nature and amount of the waste materials that need to be disposed will also be factored in. You can be sure that the more sophisticated equipments needed the more expensive it will get.

Crime Scene Cleanup And Your Insurance
For homeowners, the best approach is always to make sure that crime scene cleanup services clauses and provisions are written down on the contracts or policies. The inclusion of crime cleanup services clauses is very common and has become standard clause in most homeowner’s policy. Make sure that you are covered for this unforeseen event. Make sure that your policy directs the crime scene cleaning company to transact directly with the homeowner insurance company. A crime scene cleaning service is usually a standard clause in many homeowners’ insurance clause. These companies often do the paperwork in behalf of clients.

If for some reason you do not have such coverage by any policies relating to crime scene cleanup on your home, there are ways to keep your expenses controlled.

Finding the right company can be very taxing, especially that you have to deal with the emotional stress stemming from the crime itself, especially with a crime scene involving death.

There are many crime scene cleanup companies in operation nowadays. There are reliable professionals that you can hire and prices are relatively competitive. As of recently, crime-scene cleanup services can cost up to $600 for an hour of their service. A homicide case alone involving a single room and a huge amount of blood can cost about $1,000 to $3,000.

In recent years, crime scene cleaning has come to be known as, "Crime and Trauma Scene Decontamination or CTS. Basically, CTS is a special form of crime scene cleaning focusing on decontamination of the crime scene from hazardous substances such as those resulting from violent crimes or those involving chemical contaminations such as methamphetamine labs or anthrax production. This type of service is particularly common when violent crimes are committed in a home. It is rare that the residents move out of the home after it has become a scene of a crime. Most often, the residents just opt to have it cleaned up. That is why, it is very important to hire the best crime scene cleaning company out there. The place needs to be totally free from contamination of any kind. You have to make sure that the company is able to remove all traces of the violent crime that took place. This includes cleaning biohazards that are sometimes invisible to the untrained eye.

Legally speaking, federal laws state that all bodily fluids are deemed biohazards and you should make sure that the cleanup service company you hire understands this and includes it in the cleanup. These things appear as blood or tissue splattered on a crime scene. You must be able to hire a company that is equipped with special knowledge to safely handle biohazard materials. The company must have the knowledge what to search for in any give biohazard crime scene. For instance, the company should be able to tell clues such that if there is a bloodstain the size of a thumbnail on a carpet, you can bet that there is about a huge bloodstain underneath. Federal and State laws have their own laws in terms of transport and disposal of biohazard waste. Make sure that the company you hire has all the permits necessary.

It will also be a huge plus if you could hire people who not only has the special trainings but also who have the nature to be sympathetic. If you are close to the victim and have the cleaning done at the behest of the victim’s relatives, it would matter that the cleaners tread the site with some level of respect. It is a common site that family members and loved ones are often there at scene. In general, when looking for a suitable crime scene cleaners, you would take into considerations the kind of situation that the crimes scene presents and the demands that it require. Crime scene cleaning companies handle a wide variety of crime scenes and prices may vary from one to the other crime scene and one to the other company.

Each type of scene requires its own particular demands not only to make the crime scene look clean and neat on the surface but to make it germ free, and clean inside and to make it free from all deadly and infectious substances. The cleanup cost for biohazards may vary depending on degree of the bio hazard(s) on the scene. There may even be a category that changes the cleanup pricing which usually involves decomposing bodies and carcasses. Likewise, a cleanup of chemical hazards vary, depending on the amount of chemical hazards as well as the grades i.e. how hazardous the substance is in terms of human contact. Prices are also determined by the number of hours and personnel that it would to get the crime scene cleaned. In addition, the "gross factor" from crime scene involving death and gore needs to be taken under consideration regarding the chemicals that will be used as opposed to those crimes' that do not have gore involved.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Traumatic Grief

By Nancy Crump

Since the late 1980’s, we have seen an increase in interest and research on the effects of trauma on the grief process. We have learned that the grief process from the sudden, unexpected, and often violent deaths of suicide, homicide, auto accidents, natural disasters, and other types of deaths, is very different from the grief process of those who have died from natural causes, old age, or long-termed illness. Many, if not all, of the deaths faced by Bio Technicians fall into the category of traumatic. Those family members who hire you have usually been touched by the trauma of the death. Understanding the traumatic grief process and its differences from other types of grief may be of some help to you as you deal with these family members.

There are several key elements that make the responses by family members to a traumatic death difficult. First is the suddenness of the death. Family members usually did not have time to prepare themselves for the death and to make the psychological adjustments to cope with the news of the death. Also, the suddenness of the death does not give the family an opportunity to say goodbye to the victim before their death. Second, the violence of the death may leave the family with horrific memories and nightmares that often interfere with the grief process. Third, many of these types of deaths require police intervention and the family is often not given the support, information, and compassion they need at the time. Another element can be the presence of the media at the time of the death, as well as weeks and months later if legal issues follow the death. Most traumatic deaths involve young people who’s parents, grandparents, and siblings may still live. Certainly, the death of a child or young person is very difficult to cope with.

Reactions to a traumatic death can be very different, more intense, and longer lasting than other types of death. The emotions following a traumatic death are often conflicting and intense. There is a tendency to relive the death event over and over in an attempt to make it real. Intrusive thoughts and nightmares are very common. Intense physical responses such as inability to eat or sleep, stomach aches and headaches, muscle tension, high blood pressure and a decrease in the autoimmune system are also common. Many times, the survivors must deal with intense feelings of guilt or remorse, feeling that they were somehow responsible or could have prevented the death “if only”. Family members have the need to tell the story of the death over and over again in an attempt to gain a sense of the reality of the death. They often have an overwhelming need to learn all they can about the circumstances of the death - how the person died, whether they were in pain, did they know they were dying, what were their last words, who saw what happened, and in cases of homicide, who committed the murder. All of these reactions are ways the survivors use to grasp the reality of the death and to begin the grief process.

As Bio Technicians, you are often called by family members or meet them upon arrival to the scene. Understanding some of the dynamics of trauma on the grief process may help as you help the family. Understanding the “normalcy” of the reactions you may see can help you feel more competent and assured to speak with family members without wondering whether or not you are saying the “right” thing. Some suggestions are listed below, but the most important thing is to convey sincerity and compassion to the family. They are very vulnerable and sensitive to words, expressions, and body language. Just make sure that what you say and do is congruent with how you feel or you will come across as insincere and uncaring.

Soon after a traumatic death, most survivors simply need to tell the story to anyone who will listen. It is important for their recovery to be able to do this. If you have time to listen, do so. They are not necessarily looking for any input from you; they just need someone to listen.

Remember that there are two basic rules for grieving people – you don’t hurt yourself or someone else. If, during the conversation, you hear comments that indicate the person is thinking of either, you might suggest they go talk to someone else before making a decision to do something like this. Create a list of counselors, therapists, or mental health centers to hand out at times like these. Take comments about thoughts of suicide seriously and offer to call a friend or family member to be with the person and get them help. Suicide rates often increase after a sudden, traumatic death of a loved one. These are very difficult situations for you as a caregiver, but you need to set limits as to what you can and cannot do. Listening and having resources available are all you need. The survivor needs to take some responsibility for them, and others who are better trained to handle these situations need to be contacted.

Although many reactions may look and feel “crazy”, most are normal reactions to the situation. Again, as long as they don’t hurt themselves or someone else, they are probably reacting normally to an abnormal situation. Helping normalize these reactions is very helpful to the survivor. Encouraging the survivor to talk and to express what they are experiencing is also helpful. Making a simple statement such as, “I think I’d feel the same way if this happened to me”, helps the survivor feel less out of control.

There are many support groups available to survivors that would make a good resource for them. Creating a list of those in your community or in nearby communities is a great gift for survivors. They may not want to attend a support group, but usually someone from the group is always willing to talk to them by telephone or offer assistance.

In the work you do, you may find yourself in situations of dealing with survivors who have needs you do not feel comfortable or competent in dealing with. That’s okay as it is not your responsibility to be all things to all people. However, there are these simple steps you can take to help your families in a meaningful way. You can listen. You can refer. You can offer resources. Having some general knowledge of the traumatic grief process may make you feel more competent in dealing with your families and knowing that you are being supportive and helpful in a meaningful way.

Below are some national organizations that offer support groups in almost every locality. They are specific to either the type of death or the relationship to the person who died and are more appropriate to traumatic deaths. They all have web sites or central telephone numbers that can be contacted for local information.

The Compassionate Friends – for parents’ whose child has died of any cause.
MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Drivers offer support for parents who a drunk driver killed child
Widowed Persons Service – sponsored by AARP for spousal death
SOS – Survivors of Suicide support groups
POMC – Parents of Murdered Children and other victims of homicide.

These and many other groups may be listed at your county’s Victim Assistance Office usually located in the office of the District Attorney. Also, check with your local hospices or hospitals. They offer support groups that are open to the public. Some local churches may also host support groups. As you create your list, don’t try to keep up with the dates and times of group meetings as they change frequently. All you need is the name of the group, a telephone number, and possibly a contact person. Leave it to the survivors to take the responsibility to make the calls on their own behalf.