CIC eNews Fall 2014 Issue

Fall 2014 Issue

Mobile Apps: Coaching on the Go

Mobile applications ("apps") provide Service Members, Veterans and their families with self-help tools that can be taken anywhere and used any time. Apps help you recognize symptoms, identify and make use of coping strategies, and link directly to additional resources. Agencies collaborate to make them happen. Such collaboration is a core value and strength of Coaching Into Care (CIC). We not only collaborate with our partners to help family members and friends of Veterans, but we work with our callers to take a collaborate approach in helping Veterans get the care they need and deserve.

PTSD Coach can help you learn about, track and manage symptoms, as well as get reliable information on PTSD and treatments that work. PTSD Coach was created by the VA's National Center for PTSD in partnership with the Department of Defense's National Center for Telehealth and Technology.

Free PTSD Coach download from:
iTunes (iOS)* and Google Play (Android)*. It is also available for desktop use at PTSD Coach Online.

Concussion Coach helps support treatment for Veterans who suffer from mild to moderate concussions. The app helps you learn about TBI, recognize symptoms, and make use of coping strategies. It also provides access to crisis resources, including personal support contacts and ways to obtain professional health care.

Available for Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, and IPod Touch) from the App Store. It will be available to Google Play for Android devices later in 2014.

Concussion Coach was developed by the VA’s Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Services and the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Department of Defense National Center for Telehealth and Technology.

The Veteran Parenting web site has launched a mobile app available on iTunes.  It has won several industry awards recently – see News Flash below for more details. This free online course provides parents with tools that strengthen parenting skills and helps them reconnect with their children.

Parenting for Service Members and Veterans was built by the VA’s Mental Health Services in partnership with the DOD National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2).

My Military Life app was created by the National Military Family Association to help military spouses through all life events. Recently, CIC collaborated with this non-profit organization to help them develop their resource database which is integral to the app. Available on iTunes, Google Play, and the National Military Family Association web site.

NOTE: These apps address serious mental health conditions such as PTSD and TBI and are not intended to replace professional evaluation.

The following is based on a real case that illustrates the work CIC does. All identifying information has been changed.

Annie called about her uncle, Charlie, an older Veteran of the Vietnam era. Charlie was becoming increasingly irritable and forgetful and seemed to think everyone was out to get him. He insisted on sleeping with a weapon by the bed, and the family was becoming frightened of him. He refused to go to the VA. Annie called CIC and began working with a coach on ways to encourage Charlie to get help. Then one week Annie called her coach to say that Charlie had packed a bag with a few things and left the house. She couldn’t stop him. He said he was going to the town where he used to live – several states away. Annie was frantic with worry. A few days later, she received a call from police in another state. Charlie was found, but he was confused.

Over the next few days, Annie's coach helped with the collaboration between the police and representatives from the Veterans Crisis Line and Caregiver Support Line to make arrangements for Charlie to get to the nearest VA.  Annie continued to use coaching to help plan how she would get her uncle home safely. Her coach helped her practice what to say to him and what questions to ask the doctors and Caregiver Support Coordinator at the VA.

It took a lot of calls and coordination, and a willingness to work with different people, but Annie was able to help encourage her uncle to get help at the VA. Charlie even reported that once he went to the VA he liked the fact that there were other Vets with whom he could talk.

When a Veteran you know needs help, call Coaching Into Care at (888) 823-7458 Monday through Friday 8AM to 8PM Eastern.

COMMUNICATION

Communicating with your loved one can be difficult when you have high levels of frustration and stress in the family. Here are some effective communication tips that can help reduce tension in any relationship:

DO:

• Keep it simple, clear and brief - "2 Sentence Rule"
• Ask only ONE question at a time
• Stick to the current issue rather than old issues or the past
• Minimize distractions by turning off cell phones, TV, computer, video games, music, etc.
• Pay attention to nonverbal behavior, both yours and that of your family member
• Help your loved one identify his/her feelings by suggesting choices, e.g. "are you feeling angry, sad or worried right now?"
• Acknowledge what you hear, show empathy for his/her feelings
• Decide together on a regular time to talk about sensitive issues, choose a low-stress time

DON'T:

• Give advice unless asked; rather, make decisions together whenever possible
• Interrupt each other
• Talk down to each other, e.g. "you are acting like a child"
• Call each other names
• Generalize ("always" or "never"); instead, focus on specific behaviors rather than general labels
• Yell or shout
• Personalize each other's behavior (the symptom may be part of the normal post-deployment adjustment or something else and may have nothing to do with you)
• Become physically violent.  If you or your family member is becoming violent, leave the situation and focus on regaining safety

Based on the SAFE Program Manual by Michelle Sherman, Psy.D.

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