How to talk to your children about Florida condo collapse

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The search and rescue efforts continued Saturday at the condominium building that collapsed Thursday in South Florida.

Dr. Christine Cauffield, CEO of LSF Health Systems, said incidents like this can be difficult for children. She recommends that parents limit how much their children are exposed to.

“Depending on how old the child is, a child will watch this over and over again on television and think that there are different events going on, not realizing that these are reruns of the same event,” explained Cauffield. “So we want to eliminate that exposure, especially young children.”

Cauffield said it is also important for parents to reassure their children.

“We also want to model calmness and safety,” said Cauffield. “We want to let our kids know they are safe -- ‘I’m your parent, I’m there for you, I will protect you,’ and model that very protective atmosphere in the home.”

For anyone experiencing trauma from this incident, LSF Health Systems offers several resources including a 24/7 Access to Care line. The number is 1-877-229-9098.


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