The Continuing Plight of Our Female Veterans
December 30, 2009
By Ginny Estupinian
According to some reports there have been more than 230,000 American women who have fought in our recent wars with at least 120 having died. Sadly, for the most part the American public is not aware of the contributions these women have provided on the modern day battlefield.
Yet, many of these women suffer from the same disabilities that men are afflicted with when returning from war such as post traumatic stress disorder.
The statistics show that female service members have much higher rates of divorce and are more likely to be a single parent. The VA Medical centers report that these veterans also show higher rates for military sexual trauma, meaning they indicated experiencing sexual harassment, assault or rape. As pointed out in a previous post on this blog, some studies have shown that female veterans are at a greater risk for homelessness.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs committee, explained it best when she states, “What worries me is that women themselves still don’t see themselves as veterans, so they don’t get the care they need for post- traumatic stress syndrome or traumatic brain injury or even sexual assault. which obviously is more unique to women, so we still have a long ways to go”.
The work to help these veterans can not only fall on the shoulders of our elected officials. It also falls upon us as citizens to make their concerns a priority. Perhaps as a citizen we too can acknowledge the work and commitment of these brave women when we see them in public, and thank them personally for their service. It will not solve the problems mentioned here, but it is a start in the right direction.
Kayak Fishing Trips Help Wounded Veterans Heal
July 8, 2009
By Ginny Estupinian
Heroes on the Water (HOW) is a Texas-based volunteer organization that takes wounded veterans on kayak fishing trips. This nonprofit was formed in 2007 and has served about 130 veterans.
HOW schedules these fishing trips on private waters because this provides a safety aspect of not sharing the water with power boats. Also, the game fish are generally easier to catch on private lakes.
Aiken, who’s starting a nationwide U.S. Marine Corps Chamber of Commerce, said that having an organized activity involving other veterans is a good transitional activity for men and women reconnecting with society.
“During service, and particularly on deployment, military personnel operate as a team,” he said. “Transition is reverse culture shock. Most veterans groups focus their attention inward or to the past. HOW focuses on an activity, and most young warriors would rather do something other than swapping war stories around a bar. With HOW, we’re swapping stories across a pond, without the hangover.”
HOW went national in June, with events in Georgia, Virginia and Washington state, said Dolan, a commercial airline pilot who lives in Allen. The Air Force veteran got involved in kayaking through his love of coastal fishing.
“Fishing from a power boat is like driving a car through Yellowstone National Park,” he said. “Fishing from a kayak is like riding a bike through Yellowstone. The kayak experience is much more personal.”
HOW volunteers have been told that kayak fishing may have the same impact on wounded warriors suffering traumatic brain injury as horseback riding has on autistic children.
Heather Gardner is a recreational therapist at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center. Her specialty is adaptive sports with ties to the U.S. Paralympics. Gardner defines recreational therapy as a way of distracting one’s mind from the toll the body may be taking on and diverting it to something that is pleasing to the mind, body, soul, or a combination of those aspects.
Gardner is not surprised at therapeutic breakthroughs related to kayak fishing. She has led several groups on HOW outings. The first involved wounded warriors who were missing both legs above the knees. The majority of those participants said they wanted to fish but not kayak. A few wanted to kayak but not fish.
Within 20 minutes, with no encouragement from anyone, said Gardner, every one of them was in a kayak with a fishing rod in their hands. How does Gardner assess the therapeutic value of that experience?
“I’m sure it was different for each participant,” she said. “Getting away from the hospital and a daily routine can be therapeutic. Putting them in a boat where they are the sole controller can be therapeutic. Doing an activity that is not physically challenging and entirely in their control can be therapeutic.
“The HOW program is absolutely wonderful,” Gardner said. “Their hard work and dedication to our warriors is truly inspirational and does not go unnoticed.”
A $50,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant, the cost of a single high-end bass boat, enabled HOW to buy 40 kayaks, paddles, life jackets and other necessary fishing gear. Volunteers for HOW events mostly come from TexasKayakFishermen.com, an online forum with 12,000 members, about 2,000 of them very active.
Dolan said HOW needs access to more private lakes in all Texas regions, as veterans are spread throughout the state. Some landowners have gone beyond merely granting access to their lakes. They host the events, providing food for everyone who shows up. Most outings are small, with 10 or fewer veterans.
By Ginny Estupinian
Returning service veterans who are dealing with post traumatic stress and other disabilities can often benefit from specially trained dogs that provide companionship, help and love for these veterans.
For Example specially trained psychiatric service dogs help veterans overcome their social isolation. One way that they do this is due to the need of the dog to be walked several times. This need causes the veteran to get outside and be in the public. Furthermore, a working dog will often illicit people to ask questions about the service dog and this allows the veteran to socialize and meet people in the community.
Many veterans with these dogs have reported that their anxieties and fears have been greatly reduced as a result of having the dog with them at all times. Some veterans have reported dealing better with nightmares due to the fact that when they wake up they are relieved by the fact that the dog just is tranquil just lying on the floor. Rationalizing that If there really was a threat the dog would have responded.
For wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan these dogs can help these wounded veterans: by walking alongside a wheel chair, opening a refrigerator, pulling socks off, pushing the light switch on/off, bringing a ringing telephone, and many other duties.
Providing these dogs is an expensive process. The Veterans Administration does not pay for any of this and this is service is left to non-profit organizations.
On Saturday the 11th, of July 2009, you can see these animals in action and visit one of the wonderful groups that train them . The Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) Southwest Regional Center in Oceanside, CA is hosting their second annual “CCI Salutes Independence” event, an open house for active duty military members, veterans, their families, and friends, from 11AM to 3PM.
New Survey Shows That 25% of Veterans Are Dealing with PTSD.
March 19, 2008
By Ginny Estupinian
Recently, the Central Connecticut State University Center for Public Policy and Social Research completed a survey of returning state troops. The survey clearly demonstrated that at least ¼ of those returning veterans met the criteria for being diagnosed for post-traumatic stress disorder. Some of the problems that these returning veterans cited as most troubling included, problems with their spouse and partners, and difficulties “connecting emotionally with family”. The survey further showed that about 19% of the respondents met the criteria that they are at risk for traumatic brain injury. It is believed that the experiences of Connecticut veterans are similar to other veterans around the country. In fact, the Defense Department formed a task force in 2007 and found that about 38% of soldiers reported some mental health concerns in the months after returning from deployment. The Defense Department report showed that the mental health concerns were as much as 49% higher for those veterans who had served as part of the National Guard.
If there is one thing that is indicative of these reports it is the sheer size of the need for mental health services that exists for returning veterans. We must remember that this is only a sample of the totality of mental issues that veterans are dealing with nationwide. The harsh reality is that our current system, in its present state, is not capable of tackling all these needs. More funding and research needs to be funneled to this very important issue. The value of these reports lies in begin able to bring to the forefront the gravity of the situation and allow for better understanding of what veterans are dealing with.
In a previous posting I discussed how law enforcement in some parts of the country are now looking at the disrupted behavior by veterans. By having an understanding that a veteran may be facing some mental health challenges it is allowing for emergency services to more effectively handle situations rather than assume that it is a criminal manner.
A bit of good news was announced this week by the Veterans Medical Center in Wichita Kansas. The center is expanding its mental health department to accommodate the increase in post traumatic stress disorders by expanding its facility and the mental health staff.
Ecstasy Used to Help Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
February 20, 2008
By Ginny Estupinian
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, is one of the most debilitating mental conditions that war veterans often experience. As the latest information from the Veterans Administration continues to show, untreated veterans suffering from PTSD have committed suicide. A new study called the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a new drug approach to treating PTSD. The study will use the drug commonly referred to as ecstasy as a way to help patients work through their crippling traumas. According to MAPS, the protocol has shown some previous positive results in helping people deal with anxiety related problems. Of course there is a significant amount of controversy surrounding the use of this drug due to its popularity as a recreational and illegal substance. However, as some researchers have stated, when it comes to medical research and finding solutions for people who suffer from PTSD, we have to be able to distinguish drug policy from medical treatment.
It is fantastic that research is being conducted that addresses the need to help veterans with PTSD and potentially reduce the growing suicide rate among veterans. It is important to note that the use of medication alone is not sufficient enough to help veterans integrate trauma into their normal lives. The research being conducted highlights the need to combine medication with psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy.
Early Intervention Program Helps Prevent Suicide Deaths in Veterans
February 12, 2008
Ginny Estupinian
The Associated Press announced on February 11, 2008 that the state of Massachusetts has launched a new suicide prevention program directed to helping save the lives of veterans. Many of you might have read some recent reports showing that Veterans who are dealing with post traumatic stress disorder are prone to suicide and the lack of sufficent resources to help these veterans. The new program called “SAVE” for Statewide Advocacy for Veterans Empowerment is designed to reach out to veterans and their families and discuss the benefits and services that are available. In many states there are established programs to help veterans, but a common problem is the lack of awareness by those needing the services the most. The fact that the state of Massachusetts is investing in this out reach program is commendable and I sincerely hope that it will make a difference encouraging other states to follow their lead.
Is Mental Health Part of Veterans’ Health Care benefits?
February 6, 2008
By Ginny Estupinian
On February 5th the San Francisco Chronicle reported on a lawsuit that is pending in federal court wherein an advocacy group is fighting to help get veterans mental health coverage. The Justice Department is defending the suit based on their position that “the federal law providing five years of care for veterans from the date of discharge establishes verterans’ eligibility for health care , but it does not create an entitlement to any particular medical service”. One of the most startling comments was a statement made by the veterans group stating that there was a backlog of more than 600,000 disability claims and that 120 veterans a week commit suicide. The article alluded to the fact that a majority of these cases were due to the fact that mental health usually takes the backseat to general medical services. However, the article did state that the Veterans Administration had hired nearly 3800 mental health professional in the last two years and had placed at least one specialist in post traumatic stress disorder at each of its medical centers. It is true that when we see cutbacks in the health arena it is usually programs such as mental health that are cut first. One of the reasons is that generally, unlike physical injuries that are highly visible, mental damage is hidden and at times it takes a train specialist to understand the gravity of issues that surface. Often what appears as nothing to a layperson can be a sign of significant underlying problems to a trained mental health professional. The problem is not only being able to provide these services to veterans but also finding those that need help and educating them on what options they have to deal with their conditions. It is reasonable to conclude that the Justice Department is fighting this case simply on the grounds of money. In the end it will cost more money to provide these services in the amount that is needed for these veterans. I feel that it is money well spent.
Ginny Estupinian
I am very happy to read a report by the Associated Press that in Holyoke Massachusetts, police and emergency support personnel, are being trained to identify when erratic or defiant behavior maybe a result of untreated trauma. The trauma that I am speaking about here stems from lingering survival instincts or hidden brain injuries that our veterans experience after serving in a combat zone. Unless people have had the opportunity to be properly trained to understand and identify post-traumatic stress disorder, they do not fully understand what these returning veterans are dealing with. The last thing we as a people should do is have the criminal justice system deal with the problem. The studies done on this subject clearly show that this is a mental health issue not a criminal issue. In fact the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 pointed out that they began to recognize the connection between conflicts with police and post-traumatic stress disorder. Until now only mental health professionals were the ones to receive this training, but as of today, it appears that some officials in Massachusetts have taken the first steps to begin to address the situation properly. Let’s hope that this trend will continue and other agencies around the country will follow in course.
