Rough Road for military families with special needs
As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq rage on, repeated deployments are taking a toll on military families.
Service members are prepared for the dangers that lie ahead, but spouses and children are often left to navigate the emotional and physical challenges that come with separation alone. Those challenges are compounded when a parent has a child with special needs.
Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Veterans
What is the Veterans Multi-Purpose Center’s Equine Assisted Therapy Program? Equine assisted psychotherapy is an emerging form of therapeutic intervention in which horses are used as tools for clients to gain self-understanding and emotional growth. Equine assisted psychotherapy is a type of animal assisted therapy, a field of mental health that recognizes the bond between animals and humans and the potential for emotional healing that can occur when a relationship is formed between the two species.
Disabled veterans’ families feel strain on finances, health: survey
People who care for Canada’s disabled veterans often face overwhelming demands and financial pressures, according to a study prepared for Veterans Canada.
The study by the University of Alberta’s human ecology department indicates the families of Canadian soldiers released from active duty with severe disabilities suffer long-term financial burdens, as well as high rate of emotional stress and health issues.
New Site for Veteran Benefits [US]
A new veterans information site, Today’s G.I. Bill, has been launched this week by the Lumina Foundation. The site aims to put all of the information about access, eligibility, and benefits for veterans all in one place. The Lumina foundation funds a lot of higher-education access information endeavors, and this seems to be its latest project.
The site could be useful for veterans seeking to understand their benefits, but much of the site links to other tools (the housing stipend section links to the Department of Defense’s Basic Allowance for Housing tool and the section addressing the Yellow Ribbon Program, which outlines private institutions that provide a benefit for veterans, links to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ list of participating institutions). Increasing information for veterans will help ensure they have access to the benefits expanded by the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill update that went into effect earlier this year.
Group uses fly fishing as therapy for veterans
Teach a wounded veteran to fish, and you’ll help him heal.
That’s what the creators of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc., believe. The organization, which offers expense-paid fishing trips for military veterans who have a service-connected disability or have earned a Purple Heart, began its first chapter in Onslow County this month.
For the veterans involved, casting a line is the last part of the journey.