National Military Family Association NMFA

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National Military Family Association (NMFA)

• AMSUS Conference 2008
• Barbara Cohoon, Ph.D., RN
• Deputy Director of
• Government Relations
• Barbara.Cohoon_at_nmfa.org
• www.nmfa.org
• 800-260-0218

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National Military Family Associations (NMFA)
Expertise

• Empowering military families
• Military families face unique challenges
• Navigating the military health care system

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TBI Family Caregiver Panel

• NDAA for Fiscal Year 2007
• DVBICs role
• 22 Advisory Panelists

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Curriculum Material

• Strategies to help families cope with caring for
  a service member/veteran with a TBI
• Provide information and tools to enable
  caregivers to navigate DoD/VA health care and
  benefit services

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Definition of Caregiver

• Any family member or support person(s) relied
  upon by the service member or veteran with
  traumatic brain injury, who assumes primary
  responsibility for ensuring the needed level of
  care and overall well-being of that service
  member or veteran.

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Curriculum Content

• Module 1 TBI 101 (brain anatomy and physiology,
  understanding TBI and the spectrum of TBI
• Module 2 Physical, cognitive, behavioral and
  emotional sequelae after TBI and guidance on
  adaptation to clinical condition

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Curriculum Content Cont.

• Module 3 Caregiver needs, resources, and tools
• Module 4 Understanding the military and
  veterans health care system and benefits programs

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Benefits of Curricula

• Provide uniform resources
• Consistent and concise message
• Giving hope
• Tools for coping and gaining assistance
• Content will be
• Accurate and up-to-date
• Provide self-management skills
• User-friendly
• Teach effective communication skills for
  caregivers

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Caregiver Module

• Starting your journey
• Caring for your service member or veteran with
  TBI
• Caring for yourself
• Helping children cope
• Addressing family needs

• Dealing with everyday issues
• Planning for the future
• Advocating
• Finding meaning in caregiving
• Resources

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Resources

• Military resources
• Military OneSource
• Military Homefront
• DoD respite programs
• DCoE
• Services Wounded programs
• America Supports You
• TBI specific
• DVBIC
• Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA)

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Resources Cont.

• Caregivers
• American Red Cross
• ARCH National Respite Network
• Caregiver.com
• Children
• DoD educational tools
• Interactive Military Youth Stress Management Plan
• Mr. Poe and Friends
• Zero to three
• Sesame Street Workshop
• Living in the new normal

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Curriculum Dissemination

• Multi-media web, print, CD, and other
  technologies
• Coordination with Center of Excellence for
  Medical Multimedia
• Other government and nongovernment organizations.