Support Available for Pandemic-Related Stress

By Chuck N. Baker

According to the Center for Disease Control, veterans may experience worry or anxiety about their risk for contracting COVID-19 or about their ability to get recommended care. Additionally, fear or concern about the virus on physical health and daily life may contribute to the onset or worsen of existing mental health problems. The pandemic can add more stress to service members and veterans in an already challenging situation as they transition from military to civilian life because access to resources may be limited. Behaviors such as physical distancing, as well as social and economic impacts, may worsen mental health impacts due to social isolation.

There are several programs and organizations that make help available to veterans and others in coping with the challenges posed by COVID-19. Three of these programs are easily accessible for Nevadans.

The first is from the Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NDVS). Heroes for Heroes’ provides assistance to veterans who may require non-traditional support. In partnership with the NEST Collaborative, efforts behind Heroes for Heroes are focused on connecting veterans with other community members to curb the impact of social isolation brought about by COVID-19. Veterans interested in the program will have opportunities to befriend a reliable volunteer to open conversations and foster support through difficult situations. Telephone and video chat will protect the health and safety of participants.

Veterans have dedicated their lives to the safety and security of Americans in many different ways. Listening to their stories and assisting with resource allocation are ways volunteers can make a difference. Veterans who can attest to the challenges of loneliness due to COVID-19 can help revive a sense of connectedness. The bonds made through the Heroes for Heroes’ program emphasize the importance of community.

Casey Acklin, coordinator for the NEST Collaborative, said, “This pandemic is causing us all to better understand the detrimental impacts of loneliness and isolation. The Heroes for Heroes program gives veterans and volunteers a virtual space to form authentic, reciprocal relationships. What better gift can we give our heroes during this difficult time than that of true connection?” Alongside that, she offered, “What better gift can we give volunteers than the chance to know a true hero?”

Click here to learn more or become involved in Heroes for Heroes’.

Another organization helping to ease pandemic-related stress is Easter Seals. Children and adults with disabilities can access services designed to meet their individual needs and choose from a comprehensive set of services that allow adults and seniors with significant physical or cognitive impairments to live at home, with a friend, or family caregiver.

Easter Seals has a focus on informal and family caregivers, including caregivers to veterans. It offers resources for military caregivers, including free webinars, specialized training for military caregivers, respite care, and more. It offers hour-long, on-demand, educational online sessions, available 24/7 for military caregivers, providing tips and tools on topics including depression, childcare, intimacy, hearing loss, caregiver self-care, and home safety. Select sessions are available in Spanish.

Click here for contact information or to learn more about Easter Seals.

Additionally, the Association of Defense Communities and Blue Star Families, along with participants of the White Oak Collaborative recognized the incredible strain and confusion the pandemic is placing on military families and sprang into action. In what is being called a “remarkable partnership,” they launched the COVID-19 Military Support Initiative providing a platform for information sharing and tools that support military families and the communities they call home.

Other significant implications for military personnel and readiness policies included dwindling spouse employment opportunities and the increasing challenges of finding adequate day care, and the difficulties of permanent change of station moves for active duty personnel. To assist in overcoming these challenges, the initiative provides the following:

Comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 crisis through a new daily publication, building on ADC’s widely read On Base daily newsletter; the newsletter will feature updates on substantial national stories and local coverage of how our military is responding.

Virtual town halls on critical issues impacting our military, defense communities, and their families during this time.

Military Community and Family Organizations and experts convening to identify and advance promising practices and policy solutions and pinpoint and track ongoing issues.

An ever-evolving platform for sharing information and resources and a repository to capture and document promising practices and lessons learned.

Live polling and feedback of military family pain points; this rolling data will inform our efforts to provide and organize immediate direct services and policy recommendations

Policy recommendations developed and shared at the local, state, and federal level

Click here to learn more or become part of the community.

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