As we honor military veterans on Nov. 11, National Family Caregivers Month in November also allows us to recognize the contributions of the 5.5 million caregivers who are supporting veterans that are experiencing disabilities, mental health challenges, or life stressors stemming from their time in service.
In 2018, 3.7 million veterans reported having a mental wellness issue or substance use disorder, and currently, 2.4 million veterans receive assistance from caregivers.
Caregivers of military families report struggling with mental wellness at a higher rate than non-caregivers and are at a higher risk of developing depression or anxiety.
Important resources to reference and attend throughout the month include:
- Virtual Zoom Presentation: The Intricacies of Caring for the Veteran Population. Wednesday, November 17th, 2021 from 10 AM to 12 PM. Click here to register.
- Lock and Talk Service Member, Veteran and their Family Resources
- VA Caregiver Support Coordinator in Virginia
- VA Caregiver Support resources
- Call the Caregiver Support Line at 855-260-3274 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, contact National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and Press 1 or text “Hello” to the Veterans Crisis Textline: 838255
A caregiver can be a parent, spouse, child, family member, or an individual who lives with the veteran. If you are a caregiver, with the right tools and resources, you can provide the proper care, while also taking care of yourself.
Join the talk about mental wellness by visiting //lockandtalk.org/VACares
Visit //lockandtalk.org/VACares for additional resources on how to help yourself or members of your community.
This post is from Lock and Talk Virginia and was written by Jordan Brooks, regional suicide prevention coordinator. RACSB is proud to have been one of the groups that founded Lock and Talk Virginia,
promotes the importance of limiting access to lethal means for a person with suicide thoughts, and we teach anyone how to have conversations that can save lives using a variety of evidence-based skills trainings. Since 2015, eight prevention specialists in the northern and western community mental health agencies of Virginia worked diligently to develop and implement a new community suicide prevention program. These “Founding Mothers” expanded the program across Virginia in partnership with Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Now, Lock and Talk is embedded in Prevention Services at Community Services Boards around the state.
