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Quantico to blaze trail for 'Caregiver Peer-to-Peer Support Initiative'

23 Jun 2014 | Ameesha Felton Marine Corps Base Quantico

Caregivers of wounded warriors now have better opportunities to network with those who share similar experiences with the new “Caregiver Peer-to-Peer Support Initiative.”

Launched in April by the Department of Defense, this initiative is designed to facilitate in-person forums for caregivers at military installations that serve wounded, ill and injured service members. Marine Corps Base Quantico, one of five installations in the National Capital Region that will be piloting the program, held their first meeting June 23, 2014.

Dozens of caregivers gathered at the Religious and Family Service Center aboard Quantico to connect, share common problems, ask questions and learn about available resources.

The initiative meets a major concern for families, said April Peterson, Future Initiative Transformations Team program manager at Headquarters Wounded Warrior Regiment.

“Although there are a ton of resources out there that can be found online, what caregivers are saying to the White House and other non-profits through our survey efforts is that they just want help connecting to caregivers in the local area who are experienced,” Peterson said.

However, the creation and implementation of this initiative is a joint effort that also includes Military Community and Family Policy, the office of Warrior Care Policy and the Service Wounded Warrior Program Leadership and Recovery Care Coordinators.

Even though the initiative is spearheaded by the WWR, Peterson said, thanks to dedicated support from Col. David Maxwell, commander of Marine Corps Base Quantico, it has also become a basewide initiative. This allows caregivers full access and support from all of the Marine Corps Community Services at Quantico.

By institutionalizing the “peer-to-peer” support concept, Paul Williamson, command advisor at Headquarters WWR, said it lessens the overwhelmed feeling that many families face when caring for a recovering service member.

“Most of our caregivers are spouses but they can also be mothers, fathers, sisters, girlfriends — all people who have no acculturation with the Marine Corps or government systems and how they work,” said Williamson. “Often times the information they’re getting is coming at them is from a fire-hose perspective and they would really like to have someone sit down and explain ‘what the [heck] does this mean?’”

The DOD-level initiative is intended to bring all services up to the same standard of support and rid inconsistencies across all military installations.

“There will be an assessment [of Monday’s session] and subsequent weekly meetings with the Office of the Secretary of Defense staff and other [military] service directors to determine how we will move out in future phases,” Williamson said.

Caregivers will be notified of next meeting time and date as the information becomes available.

Other initiative participants included Fort Belvior, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Fort George G. Meade and Joint Base Andrews.

— Writer: afelton@quanticosentryonline.com

 


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