CENTRAL FLORIDA'S: BIG DADDY FRANK  

The "PTSD SHOW: All Wounds Are Not Visible." Its Big Daddy Frank's Panel Discussion With Coach Holly, Timothy Kendrick, Nadia McCaffery, and Our Featured Guest "Stephen Edwards." "Within six weeks from returning from a 12 month tour of duty in Iraq, he was diagnosed with acute post traumatic stress syndrome. He was experiencing depression and anxiety, and felt very angry. Unfortunately, Stephen took this out on my wife and daughter, who did all they could to be helpful and understanding. But they weren't able to heal me. He found myself trying to hold the enormity of my pain and the anger inside. He attending a Veterans Retreat were he began to learn how to control his anger, anxiety, and irritability. Stephen believes that all returning Veteran's should be offered a safe place to decompress after deployment. When he returned from Iraq, but he was only given one week between living in a war zone and returning to civilian life. There is no doubt that the Veteran's Retreat he attended changed his life." All panel members will join in on the discussion. We invite everyone to tell your friends or family members to listen in, you may be surprised, you may even learn something.......

From: "VAEmail (Veterans Affairs)" <_@VETAFF.SENATE.GOV>
Subject: SWEEPING VETERANS' MENTAL HEALTH BILL NOW LAW
To: VETAFF-DEMS@VETAFF.ENEWS.SENATE.GOV

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             Contact:    Kawika Riley (Veterans’ Affairs)

October 10, 2008                                                             (202) 224-9126

 

SWEEPING VETERANS’ MENTAL HEALTH BILL NOW LAW

Akaka’s legislation was inspired by first-hand accounts from veterans and their families

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, issued the following statement today regarding enactment of S. 2162, the Veterans Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008.  S. 2162, introduced by Senator Akaka and cosponsored by a bipartisan group of Senators, makes various improvements to veterans’ mental health and other forms of care.  The bill pays tribute to Justin Bailey, an Iraq war veteran who returned from combat only to lose his life to PTSD and an accidental overdose of prescription medications.

 

“Now that S. 2162 has been enacted, VA can incorporate these provisions to improve its strategy against the injury and enemy of PTSD and other invisible wounds,” said Akaka.

 

In his floor statement urging passage of S. 2162, Akaka detailed the origins of his legislation: “The legislation did not stem from a lobbyist or an interest group.  It came about because of one letter – a letter to me from the parents of Justin Bailey – Mary Kaye and Tony Bailey. 

 

“Justin Bailey was a war veteran who survived Iraq only to die while receiving care from VA for PTSD and substance use disorder.  A week after his death last year, Justin’s parents were naturally heartbroken by the death of their only son, but even more than that, they were concerned that other veterans might share his fate if VA mental health care did not improve,” said Akaka.  The Bailey family has worked actively to improve veterans’ mental health, testifying before the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and supporting S. 2162. 

 

S. 2162’s improvements to veterans’ mental health care include:

 

• Setting a standard minimum level of care for substance use disorder, and creating innovative enhancements to treatment
• Improving treatment to veterans with multiple disorders, such as PTSD and substance use disorder
• Mandating a review of VA’s residential mental health care facilities, to ensure that they are adequately staffed
• Creating a research program on PTSD and substance use disorder, in cooperation with the National Center for PTSD
• Enabling VA to provide mental health services to veterans’ families, and setting up a program to aid the families of returning servicemembers

 

S. 2162 also makes significant improvements in other areas of veterans’ health care:

 

Rural Veterans: More than doubles the beneficiary travel mileage reimbursement (from 11 to 28.5 cents per mile) eligible veterans can receive for travel to receive VA care, permanently sets the deductible to $3 each way for such travel, creates a pilot program on the use of peers to enhance outreach to rural veterans, and encourages coordination between VA and rural community-based resources.

 

Emergency Care for Veterans: Corrects current procedures used by VA to reimburse community hospitals for emergency care provided to eligible veterans.

 

VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence: In recognition of the link between traumatic brain injury, a signature wound of the current conflicts, and epilepsy, establishes up to six VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence focused on research, education, and clinical care for epilepsy.

 

Veterans’ Pain Care: Requires a pain care program, including care for acute pain, for all VA inpatient facilities for long-term mental health and substance abuse care and to prevent long-term chronic pain disability, expands VA health care staff education on pain assessment and treatment, and increases VA research on pain care.

 

Veterans’ Caregivers: Extends authority for VA to provide institutional and non-institutional long-term care and caregiver assistance services.

 

Medical Construction: Authorizes a series of major medical facility construction projects and outpatient clinic leases.

 

Homelessness: Creates targeted programs to assist low-income veterans, and increases funding capacity for the successful VA Grant and Per Diem program, which assists community-based organizations that serve homeless veterans.

 

Rehabilitating Veterans: Expands a program to help formerly incarcerated veterans reintegrate into society through employment counseling and other services.

 

S. 2162, introduced by Chairman Akaka, was reported by the Senate Committee, then passed the full Senate unanimously before being amended and passed in the House, then passed again in the Senate.  President Bush signed the bill into law on October 10, 2008. 

http://www.headinjury.com/

Providing wealth of information, creative solutions and leadership on issues related to brain injury since 1985.
206-621-8558

Introduction:

---

    This site is maintained by: Brain Injury Resource Center -- 

• A non-profit clearinghouse founded and operated by brain injury activists since 1985.
• If you have landed on this site it is probably because you have learned that head injury is
• poorly understood, and you need expert guidance to make sense of it. 

     Medical science has only just begun to unravel the mysteries of brain injury. 

• More questions remain than answers. Therefore, it stands to reason that the general public wouldn't have a clue as to what they are in for.  Consequently, when it happens to you, or someone you love, you find yourself ill-equipped to deal with the sweeping, life changes it brings. 

     What to do; where do you turn for help?

• A study by the National Institutes of Health found that 85% of brain injury patients do not receive any treatment or counseling concerning the long term difficulties caused by brain injury.  That same study found that the high cost of rehab services has placed them out of reach of many who would seek help. A related study showed that simple interventions could provide effective work-arounds for many of the difficulties caused by brain injury.

     You should know that, a Justice Department investigation found that several leading head injury rehab facilities had taken unfair and unlawful advantage of their patients. 

• This shocking situation, points to the vulnerability of patients and their families during this difficult time.  This regrettable situation underscores the need for consumers to be wise and wary, and that's where we come in.

Purpose:

     The purpose of this site is to share with you lessons we learned long ago. 

• Our intention is help you avoid much of the grief and loss of  brain injury, and perhaps to inspire you to get involved. 
• To achieve these goals we offer you the benefit of our considerable knowledge and experience. 
• Most importantly, we learned that pro-active involvement, knowledge, self-awareness, and self-advocacy are key to quality of life following brain injury. 

       Self-help:

• We strongly urge you to learn everything you can about brain injury and its life-long effects. 
• Learn about how it affects you, and how to limit its impact on you. 
• Set individual and family rehabilitation goals. 
• Draft treatments plans and timelines. 
• Learn about your treatment, and how it is supposed to benefit you. 
• Check credentials and track-records of  professional service providers. 
• Work hard to achieve your rehabilitation goals. 
• Embrace challenges, instead of giving up when thing things don't come easily. 
• Take remedial and/or refresher course work in areas of your core competencies. 
• Ask questions, search out information, and get answers. 
• Thank those who help you. 
• Keep your Personal Safety Net in good repair. 

        Healing:

• Acknowledge your losses, give yourself time to grieve, and then pick up the pieces and move on with your new life. 
• Moreover, get to know and, learn to love your new self. 
• Re-affirm your values and priorities, and trust your instincts. 
• If you do these things you will achieve your rehabilitation goals, get the help you need, and make informed decisions. 
• If you adopt and apply these practices your life will change for the better. 

Our Goal:

• Our goal is to help you maximize your recovery. 
• To achieve our goal we have placed much of what we've learned on this web site. 
• Its contents have been drawn from our personal experiences, along with years of research and consultations with our medical and legal advisors. 
• We provide information on brain injury and the impairments caused by it, as well as resources and support for dealing with it
• We promote self-advocacy, and self-care, centered around collaborative partnerships with family, loved ones, and professional service providers. 
• After you've been checked medically your next stop is here.

• This is where you will find information on the brain, and how injury changes brain functioning and behavior. 
• This is where you'll find links to brain injury resources, services, and support. 
• Additionally, you will find guidelines for choosing and evaluating professional services, as well as links to sites to check out, and/or file complaints about doctors, lawyers, and rehab facilities. 
• This is where you can assess your own situation and learn effective interventions. 
• Additionally, you'll find guidelines for creating and maintaining your personal safety net. 

     Information on this site is not designed to replace advice from physicians or other professionals. Disclaimer and Privacy Notice

About this Site:

• This site was designed for those who want to learn about the effects of brain injury in daily life. 
• It is based on the premise that physically surviving brain injury is just the first step in a lifelong process of adjustment and accommodation. 
• Our intent is to give you the benefit of our considerable knowledge, skills and talents. 
• Our mission is to help you avoid some of the unnecessary losses and devastation caused by the effects of brain injury. 
• Meet our consultants

Welcome to our "PTSD SHOW: All Wounds Are Not Visible." Its Cleveland Coach and Big Daddy Frank's turn to tell it like it is...Today's special guest is Award Winning Author, Timothy Kendrick! He is back to talk about his ideas and techniques for retraining & reprogramming your mind. He will also talk about his new book, "Wide Asleep" which is not released yet. Come and decide for yourself! Coach Holly will be on at 2:00pm to bring her lively side to the discussion. We invite you to tell your friends or family members to listen in, you may be surprised, you may even learn something.......

12 Self-help Suggestions for Coping with Trauma.

Here are 12 great self-help suggestion for coping with trauma: By Dr. Debra Moore.

 

1. Be gentle with yourself. Realize you are merely human and you are having normal, human reactions. Be aware of any harsh judgments you are making about your reactions or the reactions of others around you. There is no right or wrong ways to react. Each of us is doing the best we can.

2. Try to keep your daily activities as normal as the situation allows. Try to keep usual schedules for sleep and eating and daily rituals. This is not the time to make any additional unnecessary changes.

3. Consider structuring your day so that you get a sense of chunks of the day instead of what may be an overwhelming sense of 24 hours.

4. Making decisions may be difficult, but may also give you a sense of control. If you are inclined to let others take over, first ask yourself if this is really the best option.

5. Talk is one the best healing forces. Talk to people you know care about you. People do care.

6. You may be tempted to numb the pain by misusing drugs or alcohol. Realize this will just further complicate your life. It can also prolong your pain by stopping the needed flow of feelings.

7. Within the first day or two, consider alternating periods of strenuous physical activity or exercise with periods of relaxation or rest.

8. It ís all right to spend time by yourself, but keep in mind the usefulness of balancing this with sharing your feelings.

9. Do things that make you feel good? You deserve it. It is not disrespectful to enjoy yourself.

10. Keep in mind that others around you may handle their reactions differently than you do. They may also act in ways that you wouldn’t normally expect, and that you may not like.

11. Use any tools you know help you. These may include prayer, meditation, writing in a journal, asking for extra hugs or getting a massage, or walking. All of these have been shown to have measurable positive results.

12. Give yourself permission to consult a professional counselor. Realize that knowing when in life it is appropriate to seek professional assistance is certainly not