The United Health Foundation and Blue Star Families collaborated to develop the program, which is designed to help military caregivers navigate challenging situations they may find in their caregiver role. One promising solution identified at the convening is the Blue Star Families Military Caregiver Online Interactive Program, a virtual training program using avatar technology. To help address these and other concerns, Blue Star Families and UnitedHealth Group convened leading health policy and military and veterans service organizations, as well as military caregivers, to identify opportunities to leverage technology, tools and programs to train and support military caregivers and discuss effective ways for government, nonprofits and the private sector to work together to improve the caregiver experience.Ī core recommendation from participants was to explore the broader use of technology to help connect military and veteran caregivers with tools and resources while building new bridges for support and community. Research shows post-9/11 military and veteran caregivers are also more likely to fare worse in health outcomes as a result of not being connected to a support network. The 2017 Blue Star Families annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey revealed half of those who identified as an active-duty military caregiver reported feeling isolated and that providing care was stressful. Without appropriate support, the role of a caregiver can feel overwhelming. When this happens, family members – many of whom have not had any formal caregiving experience – are quickly and often unexpectedly thrust into a new and often difficult role as the primary support system for their loved ones as they travel their paths of recovery. In addition to their caregiving responsibilities, many military family members experience stressors unique to living a military lifestyle – geographic separation from friends and loved ones, frequent transitions and moves, shifting job responsibilities, and navigating the military and veterans’ health care systems.īecoming a caregiver is often something that happens as a matter of circumstance rather than choice.
There are an estimated 5.5 million military and veteran caregivers in the United States. And, when the unimaginable happens – an injury or traumatic event encountered in the line of duty – recovery often means that family members take on a brand new title and role – that of caregiver. That time away takes a toll on both service members and those who love them. Service often means extended periods of time away from family for training, assignments and deployments. When a loved one serves in our military, it is a family affair.
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