Veteran care by Michelle Carvajal

Define Veteran

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 14:34:30 UTC

A veteran refers to someone who has served "in the active military, naval, air, or space service" and has been discharged honorably.

The Journey of Women Veterans

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 14:46:29 UTC

Similarly to nurses, women veterans were allowed to join the forces because war demanded an increase of members. Once women were allowed to join, they still faced discrepancies in rights and treatment in comparison to their male counterparts. In 1983 Harry Walters established the National Advisory Committee on Women
Veterans. Although there has been many changes to rectify the unfair treatment women face as veterans, it is important to raise more awareness, and as nurses, to be aware that these issues may alter the type of care needed to provided to these women.

Veteran Population

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 14:55:23 UTC

-The NCVAS estimated that in Texas there was an 11% drop of veterans from the year 2000 to 2020.

- For the fiscal year 2002 the total medical expenditures was 1,561,012.

- From the years 2008-2017 health care and disability compensation make up the largest portion of VA utilization with an increase of usage up to 47%

Veteran culture

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 15:05:50 UTC

There are many factors that influence the type of experience veterans will have during their time of service such as ranking, age, gender, and much more. Although veterans have difference experience, they all share one thing in common: sacrifice. Veterans all understand the sacrifices that must be made when becoming service members, this creates a type of bond only they are able to understand. As nurses it is important we be empathetic and knowledgeable to what veteran culture is like so we are able to provide the best care possible. It is important that we avoid saying things like "I understand" because this may feel offensive to our patients. Veteran culture is a unique experience that shares similar difficulties and feelings.

Healthcare Resources: individual

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 15:19:51 UTC

There are many resources available to veterans that are unique to the person and their needs. Lots of programs are not dependent on the patient being enrolled into VA health benefits. Veteran health benefit resources are broad and as nurses it is important we are aware of this as patients may not know they are entitled to receive these benefits. Healthcare covers a wide range of benefits, from free vaccines to even surgery, depending on certain factors. There are great programs such as MOVE- which helps focus on weight management and healthy lifestyle modifications, to help with diseases like diabetes. Patients may not be aware of less known tools like MOVE, so as nurses we can direct our patients to the right sources that directly focus on veterans needs.

Nutrition Sources

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 15:27:26 UTC

I am including this link because I found it really interesting and helpful. Teaching our patients proper nutrition is important, veterans are no exception. This link is helpful because as we have learned about veteran culture, veterans find comfort in other veterans/ veteran focused care. This link can be used by anyone, but it is special because it was made FOR veterans. This tool includes:

Information of how diet choices can affect disease processes, such as cancer and heart conditions.

A nutrition blog tab which has information provided by registered dietitians on multitudes of topics.
A tab for video recipes that has many healthy and easy recipes.

Crisis line

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 15:34:45 UTC

The crisis line is very important because it provides help to not only veterans but their families as well. It is available 24/7, and like many other healthcare sources, there is no need to be enrolled in VA benefits. The people who receive the calls are trained to communicate specifically with veterans, this is because veterans have unique struggles, such as PTSD. Family members are also able to use this line when they are worried for their loved one and do not know what step needs to be taken next.

MST treatment

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 15:49:18 UTC

Many times sexual trauma is not reported by veterans, so as nurses it is important we search for signs and advocate for our patients. A few tools that may be used to screen for MST include:

A PTSD assessment
psychological eval
-other signs include, reports of pain and poor sleep quality

Treatment options are broad and depend on each patient. There is community based care, that includes veteran peer specialists, and there is individual inpatient treatment that is used for more severe cases.

Agent orange

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 15:55:23 UTC

Agent orange was used to get rid of enemy crops during the Vietnam war but exposure to this chemical has been discovered to cause diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. As nurses it is important we be aware of this as our patients are eligible to receive compensation and treatment coverage. We must first assess of our patients have been exposed to the agent by conducting an interview and assessing signs and symptoms.

Suicide facts

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 16:02:12 UTC

I am including this suicide facts list provided by our professor because I think it is important that we are aware of how big an issue suicide is among the veteran community. Suicide is already the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S, what percentage of this is veterans?...

Assessing for suicide

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 16:05:53 UTC

The Hamilton Anxiety Scale for anxiety and the Behavioral Activity Rating Scale (BARS) for agitation were combined to create the Hermes-Deakin Suicide Risk Assessment
PTSD assessment (patients are 6x more likely to commit suicide with a positive diagnosis of PTSD)
Other mental health issues increase the risk for suicide, such as depression and substance abuse.
The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) which is a self eval test

A veterans testimony regarding suicide

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 16:11:29 UTC

Veterans often commit suicide because after losing so many brothers and sisters they start self isolating when they return home because they feel scared to lose the people they love. They also feel like no one understands them but their fellow veterans which causes more self isolation. As nurses it is important that we be empathetic and understanding to our veteran patients because we do not know what they are feeling and what they have endured during their time of service.

family care

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 16:16:21 UTC

Families are a crucial factor regarding patients health. They can be a positive tool in many ways such as encouraging and being active role in the patients care, but they can also harm the patients progress. I learned that it is important to assess the way the family interacts with the patient, and the way the patient interacts with the family. this helps us determine the type of relationship the patient has with their family and how it will affect their plan of care.

family care pt 2.

michellecarvajal4 — 2024-08-12 16:21:03 UTC

Using an ecological model is important when caring for the patient and their families. This perspective is important because it allows the nurse to consider multiple aspects of the patients health. "An ecological model considers the patients relationships, experiences, community and beliefs and much more. This allows nurses to look at the big picture and not just focus on the patients physical health, but rather their overall health." (michelle carvajal)