Resilience in the Face of Disaster: Psychosocial Effects of the 2017 Northern California Wildfires in Caregivers and Persons with Cognitive Impairment Participating in an Integrative Group Movement Program at an Adult Day Center

ABSTRACT Natural disasters are often stressful for persons with cognitive impairment (PWCI) and caregivers. We investigated the impact of the Northern California 2017 wildfires on PWCI and caregivers who were participating in a research study of an integrative group movement program at an adult day center affected by the fires. One month and 7 months after the fires, we sent caregivers a survey that included the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS, range: 0–40) and open-ended questions to assess the psychosocial impact of the fires on PWCI and caregivers. We used paired t-tests to analyze PSS responses and qualitative content analysis for open-ended responses. Thirteen of the 17 caregivers returned at least one survey. Caregivers reported moderate levels of perceived stress at both time points, with no change over time (PSS mean: 20.4 vs. 21.3, p = .31). We identified three psychosocial domains impacted by the fires. First, both PWCI and caregivers experienced emotional distress. Second, PWCI exhibited a range of cognitive responses, including confusion and disorientation, no impact, hyperawareness, and improved cognitive function and adaptability. Third, despite emotional distress, some caregivers reported increased self-efficacy. Our results provide evidence of resilience in some PWCI and caregivers in response to the fires, despite emotional distress. This resilience may have been due to the sense of community that sometimes occurs following natural disasters, or it may have been a result of participating in the study, which was designed to promote social/emotional connectedness and may have provided a source of continuity and support during a time of tragedy.