There are no remedies for the effects of war, really. Ask any soldier who has seen combat. They may come home without a wound, be grateful to have lived through it, and be eager to move on.
Yet combat veterans are changed. There’s no way to forget what they experienced. Adjusting to life at home after a deployment is a challenge. For those with visible or invisible wounds, it’s a real struggle.
This month we look at two programs that were established to meet the physical, mental and emotional needs of veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We talked with nurses, social workers and therapists who are dedicated to listening harder, researching more, understanding better and helping those men and women heal and become stronger.
The needs of today’s veterans are complex.
"We're seeing more soldiers survive horrific wounds or blasts because they receive better medical care at the scene of battle," said Yvonne Carter, MSN, RN, CCM, care manager at the Atlanta VA Medical Center. "But when they return home, they need more health care. We assess the whole person and follow them as often as needed to make sure they get the services they should. Giving holistic care is what we're about."
The fact that those who used to be called case managers are now referred to as care managers is indicative of the new approach of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
One of the signature invisible wounds of these conflicts is traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is often caused by roadside bombs. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, former U.S. Army Chief of Staff, reported this year that the Army had diagnosed 126,000 cases of TBI in the 10 years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some experts believe those figures are too low because veterans to seek help immediately. Trying to catch cases earlier, the Department of Defense has screened all veterans for TBI since 2009.
But diagnosing and treating brain injuries can be a long and difficult process. Susan Johnson, director of the acquired brain injury program at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, has studied brain injuries for 30 years.
“You can never quit learning in this field. If you think you can, then you don’t belong here,” said Johnson, MA, CCC-SLP, CCM.
A positive outcome of these wars is a raised awareness about traumatic brain issues and mental conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The Traumatic Brain Injury Act in 2008 has spurred more federal funding for research.
“All of our SHARE Military Initiative team shares offices in one big room and meets weekly about every patient to say what’s working and what’s not,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to perfect our program and collect outcome measures so that we can hand what we’ve learned over to the military.”
Johnson is planning a summit of military and private TBI programs in order to share information.
“Meanwhile, if we can help just a few people at Shepherd, then we will, because it’s the right thing to do,” she said. “These guys deserve the very best.”
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