Nurse Karen knows all about the issues veterans and their families face – as she is a veteran herself.
After dedicating 40 years to caring for soldiers and their families as an Army nurse, Karen is still looking after the Armed Forces community at Help for Heroes.
The UK’s leading military charity has nurses and occupational therapists among its ranks who visit veterans and family members in their homes, providing life-changing healthcare support. They’re also on the frontline, in the fight against isolation that affects tens of thousands of people following a career in the military.
“I’ve got around 80 veterans on my caseload, the oldest is 95, the youngest is 21,” said nurse Karen.
“I’m finding that more and more veterans of all ages are extremely isolated. When they were serving, they had friends and support constantly around them. The minute they leave, they lose all that. A lot of veterans don't want to reach out because they see it as a sign of weakness.
“Some live on their own and don’t leave their house other than to go shopping. They don’t make meaningful connections.
“If I’ve got somebody who’s struggling with their benefits, I’ll do a home visit with a case manager who can help with welfare issues.
“I spend a lot of time writing to GPs and hospitals, getting veterans the services they need, such as physiotherapy. If I do a home assessment and somebody needs help with their daily routine, like seat raisers or grip bars, I refer them to our occupational therapists. Often, we do home visits together.”
“There are several ways I can support from a clinical point of view. I carry out medication reviews and discuss whether people still need to take all of it. Often people are prescribed medication and then not reviewed.
“We also hold Heroes Cafes across the country where ex-Armed Forces personnel and their family members can drop in for a brew and a chat.
"These cafes enable the local armed forces community to come together, meet new people and find out what support is available from the Charity."
It is the only UK military charity to have a dedicated clinical team providing physical healthcare support; who last year supported almost 1,500 people. They are there for veterans, and their families, from any branch of the UK military, no matter when or where they served.
Having served 40 years in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, Karen understands the veteran and military mindset. By supporting people where they live and online, Help for Heroes’ services are now accessible to more people than ever before.
“When I visit new veterans in their homes, I can see what’s going on, and how debilitating their illness or condition is. Veterans often tell me that if it wasn't for our coffee mornings, our events and activities, and our clinical support, they wouldn’t be here,” Karen explained.
“They tell me that Help for Heroes makes life worth living. Without us they admit they wouldn’t get out of bed and wouldn’t have a purpose in life.
“Seeing them take part in our events and getting active in wider society once again – that’s amazing. That’s why we do what we do.”
Karen added: “The veteran community is continuing to grow, and we are there for them should they need us. We are there not just for veterans with physical and mental health needs, but all veterans. Even though we are not at war, the need is there. So we've got to keep getting the support so we can keep going because, do you know what, we really are making a difference.”
Join Help for Heroes in their mission to support veterans and their families. Make sure no one fights the Veterans War alone.
Find out more at: helpforheroes.org.uk
