DV Digital Brochure 5 - Flipbook - Page 14
Many wheelchair-bound vets are young active duty soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, or
veterans who previously served in the military. Most have incurred their disability through disease
or accident, such as a vehicle crash, a diving incident, or some sort of fall. A smaller number
become disabled as a result of enemy attack. For those who have experienced their disability
through trauma, life changes are sudden and radical. In addition to the trauma experienced by the
veteran, their close family is thrown into turmoil, compounding the situation. During these
circumstances—while physical care for the disabled veteran is being provided—new stressors can
emerge for the veteran: anxiety; fear; isolation; altered and inadequate communication among
family members; financial troubles; changes in marital experience; transportation and scheduling
headaches; job demands; and poor nutrition and sleep. Over the mid- and long-term, such
stressors can lead the veteran toward substance abuse, depression, divorce, and unfortunately,
suicide. While government agencies emphasize the physical recovery of severely disabled veterans,
many of these secondary consequences of trauma are not addressed well, or at all.
Typically, after a veteran experiences
a traumatic event or disease causing a
severe disability, they can receive
many weeks or months of treatment,
surgeries, rehabilitation, and therapy
in select Veterans Administration
(VA) hospitals. There are many VA
Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders
(SCI/D) Centers around the Country
designed to care for such veterans.
