By Christy J. Jensen, PhD, Director, Health Services Research, Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health
America’s armed forces—the men and women who fight for our freedom—are national heroes, and it is our duty to honor their service. While we should appreciate them every day, we are especially called to do so during the month of November – National Military Family Month.
There are 18.8 million military veterans in America today—the protagonists of five major military campaigns that have taken place over the past 70 years and many others who have served in peacetime.
Here in Virginia, we are home to more than 780,000 veterans. By 2019, Virginia is projected to have the fifth largest veteran population in the nation. The most recent veterans fought in Iraq and/or Afghanistan, military operations that for many reasons have resulted in a new set of injuries and outcomes for veterans.
Of more than 2.7 million who have served in recent wars, at least 50,000 have been physically wounded and a third have a mental health condition or reported experiencing a traumatic brain injury. Many more are estimated to have experienced post-traumatic stress.
When injured veterans and service members return home, they often need help settling back into “regular life.” The needs of those who have been physically injured require more direct care: assistance with personal hygiene, getting dressed, preparing meals. But for those with cognitive injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), help can range from coordinating health care and filling out paperwork to allaying anxiety caused by PTSD triggers. There are many ways to honor our military, but one way that often gets lost is ensuring that caregivers receive the support they need.
There are 5.5 million military caregivers in the United States, about 20 percent of whom are caring for someone who has served since September 11, 2001. Of these caregivers, about one-third are spouses, almost 40 percent are under 30 years old, almost a third say they gave up their job to provide care, and more than half say they don’t have a support network. It is a difficult job, one that none of these people planned on. And the care they provide is estimated to be worth close to $3 billion annually, saving the nation billions of dollars both today and over the long term as our veterans age.
Caregivers are our unsung heroes, the heroes behind the heroes, but we are failing them.
Operation Family Caregiver (OFC) is the only program that provides direct, one-on-one, evidence-based support to military caregivers. Established in 2012 by the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, OFC provides free and confidential coaching to military families. OFC coaches work one-on-one with caregivers, developing a plan that is tailored to each caregiver’s needs. Together with their coach, caregivers learn how to overcome the obstacles they face today and to manage any challenges that might come along. The program, which has now helped more than 300 families, has been proven to help caregivers become more satisfied with their lives, have fewer health issues, and generally become more prepared to take care of their families.
In four years, OFC has expanded from its initial pilot site in Johnstown, Pennsylvania to a total of 14 sites by the end of 2016. The program can be delivered to caregivers in-person in locations around the country or anywhere in the United States via Skype. In Virginia, the program is operated by the Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Veterans Services.
National Military Family month is the perfect time to rededicate ourselves to honoring our veterans and their families. To learn more about Operation Family Caregiver, visit www.riversideonline.com/cealh/services/operation-family-caregiver.cfm.
Caregivers interested in receiving this free coaching program should call 1-877-285-1299 or register online.
Christy Jensen, Director, Health Services Research, Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health in Williamsburg, Va., is the project manager for Operation Family Caregiver in Virginia.