New help for Veterans to transition into civilian life

agree with Riddick and big rex show a little love fore Gagetown somehow as well .

propat

Personally, I don't see the need to have a pilot program at all. All of these services should be available at every MFRC. It shouldn't matter if a single Veteran actually accesses them or not, but when one does need that help, it should be available.

Is it just me??? but the bases they chose (Esquimalt, B.C., Shilo, Man., Trenton, Ont., North Bay, Ont., Valcartier, Que., and Halifax, N.S). I can understand the East and West coast....and Trenton is large and central......I would think......Petawawa over North Bay, Winnipeg or Edmonton over Shilo!!!???

Riddick

Canadian Armed Forces veterans getting more support at Edmonton Military Family Resource Centre

EDMONTON - Medically-released military veterans will get better care after shedding uniforms now that a pilot program offered at Edmonton Garrison.

Under the new four-year federal program launched by Veterans Affairs Canada at the Edmonton Military Family Resource Centre (MFRS) on Thursday, Canadian Armed Forces veterans released from service due to physical, emotional or psychological injuries will have access to military support services for up to two years after shedding their uniforms to help ease the transition back into civilian life.

For soldiers exiting service after conflicts like the war in Afghanistan, the extra help can make all the difference.

“It’s a big pill to swallow for a lot of those soldiers,” explained Col. Steve Lacroix, Base Commander at the Edmonton Garrison.

“They’ve had those traumatic experiences overseas and they do get, unfortunately for some of them, the bad news that we can’t employ them anymore because of their injuries... so we really need a social contract between Canada as a whole and its soldiers to take care of them and help them transition to a good life and a good living for their families.”

The program is expected to help roughly 1,200 soldiers released or discharged since November 2014. The pilot is also launching at Canadian Armed Forces bases in Esquimalt, B.C., Shilo, Man., Trenton, Ont., North Bay, Ont., Valcartier, Que., and Halifax, N.S.

Resources available through the Edmonton Garrison MFRS include child care services such as playschool, special needs support, mental health programs, and outreach and personal development workshops. Transitioning veterans will also be able to liaise one-on-one with Veteran Family Coordinator Denise Kantor, who will assess each family’s needs and connect them with MFRS programs.

“Some of the struggles they face is simply adjusting to the civilian lifestyle, finding employment, finding medical supports, finding their new community that they may be moving to and this impacts the family as well,” said Kantor.

Transitioning to civilian life can be a “daunting” for injured veterans, Lacroix agreed, as they face hurdles in finding a new home and new employment on top of dealing with a health condition or disability.

“The help is very important for them settling down and diminishing some of the stress or pressures on the family unit,” he said.

“Anyone who needs the help will get the care they need.”

5 Programs Offered by the Military Family Resource Centre:

*Veteran Family Support: Medically-released Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members can receive enhanced information and referral services, transition programs and access to intervention supports. A Veteran Family Coordinator works with veterans and families one-on-one to connect them with programs to ease their transition back into civilian life.

* Child Care, Youth Development and Parental Support: The MFRC offers both casual care and full-time day care programs as well as emergency child care and out of school care. There’s also a Child Health Clinic and dental screening, a Youth Drop-In Centre, Parent/Caregiver education and support programs and support for parents who have children with special needs.

* Deployment Support (Family Separation and Reunion): When soldiers are deployed from their garrison for longer than four weeks, their families have access to outreach support, family events, workshops for easing the stress of long-term separations and the Warmline Phone Service for support and a “friendly ear.”

* Mental Health Prevention, Support and Intervention: The MFRC offers numerous mental health services including initial needs screening and referral, conflict management, confidential counselling and crisis support, preventative workshops. Programs include the Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Caregiver Sup[port Group and iSTEP, designed for children and youth living with a parent affected by post-traumatic stress.

* Outreach and Personal Development: CAF members can also access programs and information for enhancing their personal lives, such as a business registry, referral services, volunteer opportunities, community orientation, second language training, arts and crafts workshops, first aid courses, scrapbooking and trips to local attractions.

matthew.dykstra@sunmedia.ca

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/01/21/canadian-armed-forces-veterans-getting-more-support-at-edmonton-military-family-res

"Transitioning from military lifestyle to civilian lifestyle can be challenging at all levels."

North Bay will be the site of a new Veteran Family Pilot Program.

The initiative was launched this morning at the Canadian Forces Museum of Aerospace Defence at CFB North Bay this morning.

North Bay has been targeted as one of seven locations across the country to offer the program which is geared to support medically released military members and their families.

“It brings a lot of hope to the military community and to veterans that we are now able to provide services for medically released members and their families,” said Veteran Family Local Coordinator Tina Thomason.

“It’s going to provide a safety net, it’s going to provide navigation services, so there’s many processes involved in medically releasing from the military and also receiving services from Veterans Affairs. It can be confusing, it can be lengthy, so this program will help navigate those different systems as well as help connect people to civilian services.”

Maureen Kennedy has had to make the transition from military to civilian herself. Kennedy is a board member with the Military Family Resource Centre in North Bay.

From her experience, she believes the new services will definitely help ease that transition.

“Transitioning from military lifestyle to civilian lifestyle can be challenging on all levels,” said Kennedy.

“Navigating the different programs while adjusting to civilian life can be overwhelming for not only the veterans but their spouses, children, parents and other family members.

The program is a partnership between the North Bay Military Family Resource Centre, Veterans Affairs Canada and Military Family Services.

Officials at the event say the Veteran Family Program can be accessed through self-referral, medical or community referral.

https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/new-help-for-veterans-to-transition-into-civilian-life-188413