Caregivers for ill or injured veterans and members of the military experience high levels of stress on a daily basis.
Military caregivers are up to four times more likely to suffer from depression, according to a national report. Caregiving spouses, parents and friends in the military community often sacrifice time, effort and rest to handle issues inside and outside the home.
A new solution is starting out of San Antonio, the city which recently trademarked the term, "Military City, U.S.A." Fifty military families across Texas will soon be part of a pilot program designed to help the caregivers of wounded service members using computer and smartphone technology.
UT Health San Antonio's 12-week Military Caregiving Telehealth Initiative will work to address conditions affecting loved ones, including pain management, mood disorders, anxiety and the effects of traumatic brain injury by video conferencing with licensed therapists.
Guests:
- Dawn Velligan, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and principal investigator of the Military Caregiving Telehealth Initiative pilot program at UT Health San Antonio
- Roxana Delgado, Ph.D., post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at UT Health San Antonio, research fellow with the university’s Military Health Institute, and wife of a Purple Heart recipient
- Kimberly Peacock, Ed.D., research scientist in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at UT Health San Antonio and Gold Star wife whose husband made the ultimate sacrifice during Operation Desert Storm
Those interested in learning more about the Military Caregiving Telehealth Initiative program can contact Cynthia Sierra, M.S., LPCi, at (210) 562-5215 or sierrac@uthscsa.edu.
