AgriLife Extension aids in Military Families Learning Network

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Andy Crocker, 806-677-5600, ABCrocker@ag.tamu.edu
Rachel Brauner,979.845.1553, rbrauner@ag.tamu.edu

AMARILLO – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is leading the way to help caregivers for almost a quarter-million service members who have returned from recent military deployments with traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorders, depression and other challenges.

AgriLife Extension and the West Virginia University Extension Service are jointly funded in the “Military Caregiving Concentration Area,” for which Andy Crocker, AgriLife Extension gerontology and health program specialist in Amarillo, is the principal investigator.

The overall project – the Military Families Learning Network – is sponsored by the Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Agriculture with a goal to increase the availability of educational resources to connect with and educate military family service professionals in the areas of personal finance, family development and military caregiving.

Crocker said research shows there are approximately 5.5 million people caring for wounded, ill or injured service members and veterans. With these numbers continuing to increase, there is a need to provide educational materials and resources for family caregivers and professionals who work with these individuals.

“Many of our military families are caring for wounded warriors who have experienced changes in abilities resulting from loss of limbs, PTSD, vision or hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, severe burns or a spinal cord injury,” he said.

Caregiving can be a long-term journey for military families, ranging from younger wounded warriors to older generations of veterans with complex medical conditions. Military caregivers, as compared to caregivers of aging adults, experience higher emotional stress, physical strain and financial hardships, Crocker said.

“Each caregiving situation and wounded warrior medical condition is different,” he said. “However, it is important to provide caregivers with a basic knowledge of the medical condition and strategies to address the specific injury.”

Current literature and research is limited for this unique caregiver population; many government programs are still in the early stages of development and community resources can be difficult to navigate, Crocker said.

“Ensuring the necessary care for wounded, ill and injured service members is an important component to fulfilling America’s commitment to its military services – a large portion of this care depends on those military caregivers.”

He said research and education play key roles in future caregiver initiatives that effectively address the needs of these military families.

AgriLife Extension will continue to build on the successes it has had in two previous years of working with the Military Families Learning Network and will continue to develop and produce these educational resources for the families and professionals who serve them.

Rachel Brauner, co-principal investigator and program coordinator with AgriLife Extension’s Military Program in College Station, said their efforts include professional development webinars to transform content into interactive resources for end-users who may not be able to leave their homes for training. Each webinar includes an evaluation component to determine satisfaction, knowledge gain and intended behavior change.

“We also are certifying contact hours for participants attending the webinars and provide credit hours through professional organizations where appropriate,” Brauner said.

The next monthly military caregiving professional development webinar, entitled “Overview of Suicide Risk Assessment and Prevention,” is set for noon, Nov. 12. No registration is required and one continuing education credit will be available from the National Association of Social Workers.

This 60-minute webinar will highlight various techniques that will help prepare providers on how to manage these challenging situations. The presenter will provide a step-by-step approach for assessing, mitigating and documenting suicide risk when working with military service members and their families. To join the webinar or for more information on the event go to https://learn.extension.org/events/1712.

For those unable to attend live sessions, the webinars are made available online at https://extensiononline.tamu.edu/courses/military_caregiving.php for the credit.

Future AgriLife Extension efforts will include “virtual learning events” or multi-day, focused online events for professionals working with the service members and their caregivers. These provide an opportunity for professionals to engage in more in-depth educational opportunities and provide reflection and follow-up through the multi-day format.

Brauner said they are already providing videos online from one-day interview sessions at selected military installations. The short videos with military professionals are on topics useful to military family caregivers and are posted to the MFLN YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/MIlFamLN. They also are used for blog posts, online learning and in-person presentations.

Additionally,Brauner said, there will be an emphasis on trainings for military family support staff through West Virginia University, which will develop and facilitate a series of online professional development trainings addressing the proactive delivery of services, effective collaboration, and Medicaid and waiver services.

For more information about the Military Families Learning Network, go to http://blogs.extension.org/militaryfamilies/ .

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