People who serve in the military and veterans face some different health issues than civilians. During wartime, the main health concerns are life-threatening injuries. These include shrapnel and gunshot wounds, lost limbs, and head injuries. Some service members might also have health problems from exposure to environmental hazards, such as contaminated water, chemicals and infections.
Service members and veterans are at risk for mental health problems, too. These include anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and substance abuse. (From MedlinePlus)
The number of diseases that the Department of Veterans Affairs has recognized as associated with Agent Orange or Persian Gulf Syndrome continues to expand and includes diabetes and prostate cancer to chronic fatigue syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder.(From Veterans of Foreign Wars)
Ivy Tech students can use databases to find magazine articles and other documents about a wide variety of topics. Use these databases to find information relating to health issues and veterans.
Consumer health information on many health topics including the medical sciences, food sciences and nutrition, childcare, sports medicine and general health
Veterans by
In this book, the authors discuss topical issues relating to veterans including transfusion therapy for veteran patients; low serum vitamin D and its association with metabolic syndrome in African American and Caucasian American male veterans; eye care issues in veterans; substandard and lack of affordable housing in the veteran population; the rehabilitation of shaken soldier syndrome; and genetic markers in suicidal and non-suicidal veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder.
Special Needs Families in the Military by
The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is especially true for families with special needs children. It takes an "army" of therapists, doctors, nurses, counselors, and educators. Special needs families in the military often find the task even more daunting, compounded by the unique circumstances of military life today. Even though the challenges are often greater, there are many helpful resources for families in the military who are raising a special needs child. In Special Needs Families in the Military: A Resource Guide, authors Janelle Hill and Don Philpott provide advice on the many issues that arise, including diagnoses, financial support, education, medical care, case management, insurance, advocacy, and coping with the accompanying mental and emotional trials. The book covers the basic challenges which all special needs families must face, and also pays special attention to those resources, programs, and aids available to special needs families in the military, where the added stresses of military life often make things seem overwhelming. This book guides special needs families through all the procedures and protocol they must face, and offers helpful tips for setbacks and unexpected challenges that may arise. It is essential reading for military families with special needs children and those who work with them.
Combat Trauma by
Much has been written of the short-term experience of combat trauma. Almost nothing has been documented about how that trauma impacts individuals years after their first conflict experiences and into later life. Here, Johnson relates the stories of fifteen of his combat brothers to share with the world what their terror of four decades ago has done to them and how it affects them to this day. With candor and vivid detail, they reveal how their combat trauma symptoms still infect their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors on a daily basis. Those returning from battle now and their family and friends will find here a roadmap of what to expect from those suffering from PTSD as a result of combat. With this knowledge, today's veterans and those who love and care for them can tackle the issues and challenges so that symptoms may be minimized and addressed. Those who still carry these wounds will find that they are not alone, and that there are ways of dealing with the horror, no matter how long ago it may have been. Johnson concludes the book with resources for obtaining help and mending the spirit in the face of what can be debilitating thoughts and fears.
Access to Behavioral Health Care by
Concerns about access to behavioral health care for military service members and their dependents living in geographically remote locations prompted research into how many in this population are remote and the effects of this distance on their use of behavioral health care. The authors conducted geospatial and longitudinal analyses to answer these questions and reviewed current policies and programs to determine barriers and possible solutions.
Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan by
As of December 2012, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in Iraq have resulted in the deployment of about 2.2 million troops; there have been 2,222 US fatalities in OEF and Operation New Dawn (OND)1 and 4,422 in OIF. The numbers of wounded US troops exceed 16,000 in Afghanistan and 32,000 in Iraq. In addition to deaths and morbidity, the operations have unforeseen consequences that are yet to be fully understood. In contrast with previous conflicts, the all-volunteer military has experienced numerous deployments of individual service members; has seen increased deployments of women, parents of young children, and reserve and National Guard troops; and in some cases has been subject to longer deployments and shorter times at home between deployments. Numerous reports in the popular press have made the public aware of issues that have pointed to the difficulty of military personnel in readjusting after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of those who have served in OEF and OIF readjust with few difficulties, but others have problems in readjusting to home, reconnecting with family members, finding employment, and returning to school. In response to the return of large numbers of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan with physical-health and mental-health problems and to the growing readjustment needs of active duty service members, veterans, and their family members, Congress included Section 1661 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008.
The Wounded Warrior Handbook by
The typical wounded soldier must complete and file 22 forms following an active-duty injury. To many soldiers and their families coping with the shock and reality of the injuries, figuring out what to do next even completing tasks as seemingly easy as submitting paperwork can be overwhelming and confusing. Written with these men and women in mind, The Wounded Warrior Handbook provides our wounded heroes and their families with quick, straightforward answers to the questions they suddenly face and guides them through the deluge of processes, procedures, and policies they must adhere to in order to receive the care they deserve and need.
Claim Denied! by
“The VA is not your loving Uncle Sam who opens his wallet and says, ‘Here you are, nephew—a $1,000 check per month for the rest of your life. That should take the pain out of your service injuries,’ ” writes John D. Roche. Far from it, he reveals. Though the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 requires Veterans Affairs to assist veterans in developing the foundation to support their claims, in reality if you rely on the VA to find and develop the evidence necessary to grant benefits then your claim is likely to be denied. Claim Denied! will help those veterans whose benefits have been denied correct the mistakes they made when they submitted their original claims. Appealing a VA decision is not an impossible feat, Roche says, but a veteran’s story must be presented in a well-organized and logical format, so any reviewing authority is able to understand the issues as they relate to the laws. This book explains in detail how to develop and present a successful appeal.
How to File and Collect on VA Claims by
"Claim denied!" All too often millions of veterans have received this response to their legitimate claims for federal benefits. In most cases, writes veterans' advocate John D. Roche, the claimant didn't understand the procedures needed to meet the myriad requirements of the Department of Veterans Affairs. With the appeals process requiring years to resolve disputes, deserving veterans and their dependents are left confused and frustrated by the agency and a system that was created to serve them. The answer is to submit a well-grounded claim initially, which The Veteran's Survival Guide, now in a revised, second edition, analyzes in detail. This unique book, written in an accessible self-help style, will be required reading for any veteran or veteran's dependent who wishes to obtain his or her well-earned benefits and for those officials of veterans' service organizations who assist veterans with their claims.
Reporting for Duty by
Hundreds of thousands of military veterans seek treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) each year. Service dogs have been used for many years in the civilian sector to help their disabled owners perform necessary tasks in daily life; likewise, the organized use of therapy dogs to bring comfort and companionship to hospital and nursing-home patients dates back more than four decades. Reporting for Duty explores the unique and special bond between wounded warriors—especially those suffering from PTSD—and their service dogs and discusses the vital work of therapy dogs who visit VA hospitals and military rehabilitation facilities. Author Tracy Libby tells the true stories of disabled veterans who have been touched, assisted, and enriched by the dogs in their lives, and the new lease on life is reciprocal: many of these service and therapy dogs have been rescued from shelters and specially trained for their jobs. A portion of proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit a veterans’ service-dog organization.
Beyond Post-Traumatic Stress by
When soldiers at Fort Carson were charged with a series of 14 murders, PTSD and other invisible wounds of war were thrown into the national spotlight. With these events as their starting point, Jean Scandlyn and Sarah Hautzinger argue for a new approach to combat stress and trauma, seeing them not just as individual medical pathologies but as fundamentally collective cultural phenomena. Their deep ethnographic research, including unusual access to affected soldiers at Fort Carson, also engaged an extended labyrinth of friends, family, communities, military culture, social services, bureaucracies, the media, and many other layers of society. Through this profound and moving book, they insist that invisible combat injuries are a social challenge demanding collective reconciliation with the post-9/11 wars.
Fields of Combat by
For many of the 1.6 million U.S. service members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, the trip home is only the beginning of a longer journey. Many undergo an awkward period of readjustment to civilian life after long deployments. Some veterans may find themselves drinking too much, unable to sleep or waking from unspeakable dreams, lashing out at friends and loved ones. Over time, some will struggle so profoundly that they eventually are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress Disorder (PTSD). Both heartbreaking and hopeful, Fields of Combat tells the story of how American veterans and their families navigate the return home. Following a group of veterans and their their personal stories of war, trauma, and recovery, Erin P. Finley illustrates the devastating impact PTSD can have on veterans and their families. Finley sensitively explores issues of substance abuse, failed relationships, domestic violence, and even suicide and also challenges popular ideas of PTSD as incurable and permanently debilitating. Drawing on rich, often searing ethnographic material, Finley examines the cultural, political, and historical influences that shape individual experiences of PTSD and how its sufferers are perceived by the military, medical personnel, and society at large.
Coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by
This book is a user friendly discussion of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as it affects individuals and families. PTSD has become better known and more frequently diagnosed, and affects more than just military families. Causes, diagnosis and treatments, including counseling, medication, and alternative therapy, are discussed. The challenges faced by PTSD individuals and their families are addressed and recommendations are included. New to this edition is information regarding Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and the new policies and treatments in use as well as information about women war veterans, who are a newer demographic for combat PTSD.
When the War Never Ends by
This book provides a synopsis of recently published empirical research into the acquisition of reading and writing in Arabic. Its particular focus is on the interplay between the linguistic and orthographic structure of Arabic and the development of reading and writing/spelling. In addition, the book addresses the socio-cultural, political and educational milieu in which Arabic literacy is embedded. It enables readers to appreciate both the implications of empirical research to literacy enhancement and the challenges and limitations to the applicability of such insights in the Arabic language and literacy context. The book will advance the understanding of the full context of literacy acquisition in Arabic with the very many factors (religious, historical, linguistic etc.) that interact and will hence contribute to weakening the anglocentricity that dominates discussions of this topic.
Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior by
The essential handbook for anyone who has ever returned from a war zone, and their spouse, partner, or family members. Being back home can be as difficult, if not more so, than the time spent serving in a combat zone. It s with this truth that Colonel Charles W. Hoge, MD, a leading advocate for eliminating the stigma of mental health care, presents Once a Warrior Always a Warrior, a groundbreaking resource with essential new insights for anyone who has ever returned home from a war zone. In clear practical language, Dr. Hoge explores the latest knowledge in combat stress, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), mTBI (mild traumatic brain injury), other physiological reactions to war, and their treatment options. Recognizing that warriors and family members both change during deployment, he helps them better understand each other s experience, especially living with enduring survival skills from the combat environment that are often viewed as symptoms back home. The heart of this book focuses on what s necessary to successfully navigate the transition LANDNAV for the home front. Once a Warrior Always a Warrior shows how a warrior s knowledge and skills are vital for living at peace in an insane world."
Combat-Related Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD by
As more veterans return from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, more are needing care for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and combat-related traumatic brain injuries (TBI). While there are several treatment and recovery options, outlets for support, and other resources, understanding and gaining access to them is often difficult or confusing. In Combat-Related Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD: A Resource and Recovery Guide, authors Cheryl Lawhorne and Don Philpott offer guidance for returning veterans, from treatment options, to diagnostic criteria and techniques, to resources for rehabilitation and support. The authors begin discussions of TBI and PTSD by offering definitions of each, outlining the risk factors, and exploring the relationship between the two. They then move on to provide explanations of diagnostic criteria, treatment options, prevention techniques, and barriers to seeking care. Sections on the important role that insurance and health care plays, and on the support of family and friends, round out this useful and accessible volume. This is an essential guide for returning veterans, their families, and all who work with veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI.
Haunted by Combat by
Since 1990, U.S. Veterans' centers have treated more than 1.6 million PTSD-affected men and women, including an estimated 100,000 from the Gulf War and an untallied total from the Iraq and Afghanistan fronts. The number also includes World War II veterans, because PTSD does not fade easily. Sufferers may experience the traumatic events in flashbacks that may seem as real as when they first occurred. Using firsthand accounts, the authors offer insights into the realities of PTSD and combat trauma, and how symptoms may pervade even the most mundane of daily activities and cause sufferers to experience withdrawal, depression, violence, rage, and even suicide. In a new epilogue, the authors offer data about treatments and resources that both PTSD sufferers and their families and friends will value.
