Awakening America to the service and struggles of our nation’s military and veteran - PowerPoint Presentation

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Awakening America to the service and struggles of our nation’s military and veteran caregivers

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The Role of Faith in

Military Caregiving

Steve Schwab

Executive Director

The Elizabeth Dole FoundationSlide3

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A Personal Call to Action

Senator Elizabeth Dole was inspired to launch the Foundation in early 2012 after she

saw first-hand the struggles of the

spouses, parents, and other loved

ones caring for wounded, ill and

injured warriors at Walter Reed

National Military Medical Center.Slide4

Five

core principles guide the philosophy of our Foundation:

Conduct evidence-based research on the needs of military and veteran caregivers

Empower caregivers

Promote collaboration

Drive innovation

Raise awareness

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Our PhilosophySlide5

Measuring the Crisis

T

he Foundation

commissioned the

RAND Corporation

to conduct the first nationwide, comprehensive study of America’s military and veteran caregivers

The goals of the study were to:

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Describe the magnitude of military caregivers in the U.S.

Describe current policies, programs, and other initiatives designed to support military caregivers

Identify specific recommendations for filling gaps in supportSlide6

Measuring the Crisis

5.5 million Americans serve as military and veteran caregivers Caregivers provide nearly $14 billion worth of voluntary care, each year Military caregivers consistently experience more health problems, face greater strains in family relationships, and have more workplace problems than civilian caregivers

Post-9/11 caregivers are 4 times more likely to suffer depression than civilian caregivers

As 37% of post-9/11 caregivers are under the age of 30 years old, long-term financial and legal planning is critical

Service and Sacrifice of Caregivers:

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Measuring the Crisis

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The Complete RAND Study is available online at:

http://

www.rand.org/health/projects/ military-caregiversSlide8

Armed with the RAND Study results, the Foundation’s next step was to begin directly impacting the lives of these hidden heroes

:Congressional

Caucus and

Caregiver

Legislation

Hidden Heroes National Coalition

Dole Caregiver Fellows Program

Innovation Grants Impact CouncilsAwareness Building

Hidden Heroes Caregiver Community

Preparing a National Response

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Held February 2015 Impact Councils

Hosted May 2015 Caregiver SummitAnnounced the Hidden Heroes Campaign

Expanded the Dole Caregiver Fellows program

Since we last saw you

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The Foundation’s Dole

Caregiver Fellows reflect the challenges faced by both pre- and post-9/11 caregiversOur Fellows are active caregivers—representing all 50 states and Puerto

Rico—and serve

as

key ambassadors and advisors for the Foundation and its

partners.

The Foundation will be announcing its new class of Fellows on February 2, 2016

Dole Caregiver Fellows10Slide11

The Foundation is leading a national effort to raise awareness and educate the public on military and veteran caregiver issues

Actor Tom Hanks has agreed to chair the Hidden Heroes Campaign

Hidden Heroes Campaign

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At the

2015 Hidden Heroes

Summit,

keynoted

by First Lady Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks

announced the campaign and unveiled

the

Hidden Heroes Campaign logo in a video messageSlide12

Senator Dole and Foundation representatives have briefed hundreds of high profile leaders, preparing decision-makers and cultural icons to serve as strong advocates for military and veteran caregivers

:Campaign Partners

White House

Cabinet Secretaries

Congressional Members

Governors

Mayors

County Officials

Celebrities

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The Foundation’s

Hidden Heroes National Coalition includes prominent leaders from the public, private, nonprofit, labor, government and faith communities

Hidden Heroes National Coalition

Over 300 Leaders and organizations

Members will serve as:

Campaign information dissemination

partners

Campaign spokespersons

Campaign sustainability support

Service providers for military and veteran caregivers

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Community

Support at HomeEducation and TrainingEmployment and Workplace

Support

Interfaith Action and Ministry

Financial

and Legal Issues

Mental and Physical Health

Respite CareFebruary 2015 Impact Councils

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29% of military caregivers seek support for their caregiving responsibilities through a spiritual or religious

outletFaith-based programs created specifically for

military caregivers are very

scarce

Many

faith leaders and communities don’t have

adequate resources in place

to effectively support people who are struggling with such issues such as P.T.S., T.B.I., or depression as a result of caregiving

Interfaith Action and Ministry

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The

Interfaith Action and Ministry Council has been tasked with identifying the disconnect between the caregiver and faith communities, and

creating adequate

resources to fill this

gap

Council members have collaborated extensively with Dole Caregiver Fellows and Staff since the February Impact Forum to create a plan of action

Interfaith Action and Ministry

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The Council has outlined a 4 part plan to address the gaps in services and support:

Create and disseminate a survey to faith and military caregiver communities

Use survey results to determine most critical areas of need

Create materials and identify

existing

programs and replicable resources

Leverage Hidden Heroes National Coalition to distribute materials to faith and military caregiver communities

Interfaith Action and Ministry

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Survey

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https

://

www.surveymonkey.com/r/EDFFaithSurvey

Laurel

@ElizabethDoleFoundation.org

Laurel

RodewaldSlide19

Chaplain

Craig Muehler CAPT, CHC, USN, (Ret.)

Director, Ministry to the Armed Forces

The Lutheran Church - Operation

Barnabas

Diana

Dale

CEO & PresidentWorklife Institute

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Promising ProgramsSlide20

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