Helping veterans has to be more than talking about it

I read reports everyday on what is happening to our veterans when they come home just as I read reports about the great and growing need of the members of the military still serving. I read about this group followed by another group jumping onto the gravy train pretending to be "doing something" to address the need. What I end up seeing is tiny action being taken with a small percentage of those in need actually being helped. Our troops and veterans tug at the heartstrings of the people of this country and we are a generous bunch. Program after program begs for funding and more attention so they can "deliver the care" that we all know is needed but no one is asking for any proof what they say they do actually works. After all these years, when you read the following it becomes clear that what all of these groups say they are delivering is not enough to really make a difference.

U.S. official: Help us help vets
Jobs are ultimate solution, he says
BY GREG GARDNER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged local leaders to hire, educate and help find resources to support tens of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans returning to the most difficult economy in decades.

Speaking Thursday to the Detroit Economic Club, Mullen called on small business owners, hospital and college administrators to work with the Pentagon and the Veterans Administration to prevent veterans with medical and social needs from falling through the cracks.

"Hundreds of thousands, we're not sure quite frankly, are exhibiting the symptoms of and will have post-traumatic stress that all of us need to deal with," Mullen said.

Ultimately, jobs are the real solution. Mullen said the G.I. Bill is as robust now as it was after World War II. Once veterans get enrolled in universities and community college, they also are more likely to find social services.

Homelessness among veterans also must be addressed, said Mullen, a Vietnam War veteran. He said it took nearly 10 years before significant numbers of homeless Vietnam vets began showing up.

Read more: U.S. official: Help us help vets

I am not saying we should stop supporting charities trying to help but we should be asking for proof of what they claim. We can see some groups making a difference, like Habitat for Humanity because we can see a house built. We can see it in homeless shelters because we see veterans in beds, being fed and provided with clothes. What we cannot see is programs that claim to be "curing" or healing them when we see the results in suicides, attempted suicides, homelessness, arrests and families falling apart all going up.

There are groups that claim to be doing something about PTSD and they have the publicity to make people believe what they say but when asked for specifics, asked to provide proof of their programs working, there is silence.

Hyperbaric therapy not proved to help PTSD


By Letters To The Editor For Friday, Aug. 27

I appreciate that your article on the use of hyperbaric oxygen for blast-related traumatic brain injuries made clear that there is no compelling evidence supporting the efficacy of this treatment for this condition, particularly when the patient undergoes therapy months or even years after his or her accident ("A Lot of Hot Air," Aug. 14).

The article does not, however, mention the serious potential for psychological harm that any unknown or unproven treatment carries, especially in a context of severely "dysfunctional" and desperate patients as described by the physical therapist Ray Cralle. The article should make clear that hyperbaric therapy has no known benefit for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. The fact that Mr. Cralle is "pleased with the success he has seen with his four veterans" does not constitute evidence of effectiveness or positive benefit in scientific terms.

In fact, your article incorrectly refers to Mr. Cralle's program as "a bold experiment." A true experiment, however, would require objectively verifiable criteria for defining a therapeutic effect, independent judges who do not have a vested interest in the outcome of the program, large control and treatment groups, as well as objective cognitive assessment both before and after treatment is received. In more basic terms, people receiving hyperbaric treatment would need to be compared with comparably injured people who did not receive any treatment at all. Ordinarily, such research is not designed, conducted, reviewed or published by physical therapists.

DAVID S. BUSH, PH.D.

Does it help some? Depends on who tries it and what caused the damage. There is no one size fits all. No one expects there to be one "cure" for all but we should expect proof of what people claim and not just for today but for followup proof that it lasts or is just a short fix.

When there are PTSD programs, we need to know if they work and if the family is helped to stay together. If not then we will see more homeless veterans. What no one talks about is what remains of the family members. How are they psychologically and emotionally? How are the kids adjusting? Does the family blame themselves for the veteran becoming homeless? Did they know all they needed to know to stay together? Did they get enough support but just decided they didn't want to do it anymore?

What about suicide and attempted suicide? Did the veteran get all they needed to be able to heal? Did the family know what they needed to know? Did they learn enough after to be able to forgive themselves and understand that it was not their fault? Where are the support groups? What about the extended family members and friends? Do they have support?

There is so much that is not being talked about. We will not be able to really get ahead of the drama being played in hundreds of thousands of homes everyday until we start to get answers to the rest of the story.