USO Wounded Warrior and Family Caregivers Conference tackles tough issues faced by today’s caregiving community
Caregivers converge in North Carolina to discuss the challenges and rewards of caring for a wounded, ill or injured service member
Fayetteville, NC. (September 15th, 2011) – The USO hosted its second annual Wounded Warrior and Family Caregivers Conference yesterday at the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina with a second session today at the Fort Bragg Club, Fort Bragg. The conference focused on addressing issues important to those who care for our nation’s wounded, ill and injured troops. Post-traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, children’s grief and suicide prevention were among the topics discussed.
Day one opened with an interactive icebreaker presented by Steve Shenbaum of game on Nation. He encouraged the caregivers to focus on “self “and what creates happiness in their lives.
“Take back humor. Take back laughter. Lets stop telling ourselves to do it. Lets start showing ourselves how to do it. Lets start moving ourselves into doing it. We all have gifts. It could be music, it could be poetry. It could be your smile. It could be your nurturing gift,” said Shenbaum.
Responding to feedback following the first conference held last year at Fort Bliss, the USO tailored this year’s event to cater to the needs and concerns of our nation’s caregivers. Increased focus was placed on children. Trevor Romain, award-winning children’s author and performer for the USO’s With You All the Way program, presented on the “Art of Caring.” Romain shared stories and lessons he has learned in his many years working with children across the globe. He warned that parents often overlook the impact that their words and actions have on their children.
“Most of the time we spend our time telling children what we think they should be doing instead of listening to what they are asking for,” said Romain.
The conference, by very design, catered to parents with a 9:00am to 2:30pm schedule, providing attendees the opportunity to drop off and pick up their children from school. The spouses, mothers, family members and friends in attendance were mainly from the Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune communities.
Kim Ruocco, Manager of Suicide Outreach and Education Programs for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), captivated the audience with her recount of the year leading up to her husband’s suicide. Kim’s husband, John, was resistant to getting treatment for his depression following multiple deployments as a marine helicopter pilot.“That whole first year (following his death), as most suicide survivors do, I played back everything,” said Ruocco. “What did I miss? Why didn’t I see it? What could I have done differently?”
Ruocco left the audience with invaluable advice about how to spot the warning signs in your service member. Common signs like self-destructive behavior, angry outburst, to withdrawal and agitations. Ruocco asked the audience to take note of these changes and communicate with their service member as the need for help should outweigh the stigmatism that could potentially be associated with asking for help.
On day two attendees heard from former wounded, ill and injured service members in a wounded warrior panel. The panelists, Juan “AC” Alcivar and Scott Stephenson, spoke about the experiences they had when they were first injured, providing hope and inspiration to the entire group. The panel also discussed the crucial role their caregivers played, and continue to play, in their recovery.
“I know there was times when she (mother who served as caregiver) was stressed out with everything,” said Alcivar. “I also have two other brothers in the military and they were both deployed at the time. I know she needed her time and I needed my time, but just having her there was a great comfort.”
Quotes from Opening Remarks (in order of appearance):
Attributed to John Falkenbury, President, USO of North Carolina : “USO is a home away from home. Collaborate and have peer-to-peer communication....It is a very exciting time to be a part of the USO.”
Attributed to Sloan Gibson, President and CEO, USO, Inc.: “As I think about wounded warriors and their families, I tell people if we're not working to lift the spirits of many of you and many of those men and women around the country, then we're simply just not doing our job. That's why we're here.”
Attributed to LTC James “Tom” Schumacher, Commander Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Bragg: “The USO is there until everyone comes home and that’s a strong message and they mean it and they’re doing it. You as the caregivers, you’re already home but your mission is continuing and a lot of times that is overlooked and it is hard because as you’re trying to be selfless and take care of your loved one, you sometimes forget that you have needs yourself and there are things you need to plug in and we need that perspective of what goes on because it doesn’t end. There is no break from the new normal.”
Attributed to John R. Campbell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Wounded Warrior Care & Transition Policy): “You have to take care of yourselves. This is a long process. You really need to reach out. One thing you need to do as well is you need to communicate with each other. The stories that you have are not only important and significant to you, but they can provide a lifeline for other people in this room.”
Multimedia:
USO Press Kit
Conference Photos
USO Logo
Social Media:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/the_USO Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theUSO YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/USO4troops Web: http://www.uso.org
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About the USO
The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families millions of times each year at hundreds of places worldwide. We provide a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families and the families of the fallen.
The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency. We rely on the generosity of our volunteers and donors. In addition to individual donors and other corporate sponsors, the USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners: American Airlines, AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Procter & Gamble and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. We are also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC- 11381). To join us in this patriotic mission and to learn more about the USO, please visit www.uso.org.
Contact:
Andrea Sok, 480-570-2329 asok@uso.org
About the USO
The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families millions of times each year at hundreds of places worldwide. We provide a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families and the families of the fallen.
The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency. We rely on the generosity of our volunteers and donors. In addition to individual donors and other corporate sponsors, the USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners: American Airlines, AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Procter & Gamble and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. We are also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381). To join us in this patriotic mission and to learn more about the USO, please visit www.uso.org.
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