Photo By MaryTherese Griffin | (Photo by MaryTherese Griffin) Physical Therapist Brett Clingerman and his colleague...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT BELVOIR, Va.- The Beatles' hit “With a Little Help from My Friends” could be an anthem for today’s Soldiers. They most assuredly have friends who want to help them in the Army Recovery Care Program. At an Army Recovery Care Program summit at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, occupational and physical therapists, clinical and social workers, doctors, and others from the fourteen Soldier Recovery Units shared information on ways to help.
Joy Davis, an occupational therapist at the Fort Liberty SRU, stressed the value of coming together at events like this. “It’s integral for us to do a great job for our program and unit. Coming here, we can gather as much information as possible to take back and share to improve things for our Soldiers.”
Davis says the goal is to deliver a holistic, high-level experience to wounded, ill, or injured Soldiers. According to Fort Liberty SRU Physical Therapist Brett Clingerman, talking with peers and leadership and hearing from subject matter experts at events like this is invaluable. “The networking piece, for me, is the most important. Process improvement is key, and I like hearing what works at the other SRUs. Finding the most effective way to implement things like what we do in adaptive reconditioning to Army Trials and even Warrior Games is important. We learn from each other to make our SRU the best it can be, helping Soldiers to get out there and find purpose again and something that motivates them to move again.”
There are a lot of moving parts to help a Soldier move again. Attendees from throughout ARCP were able to share best practices at the summit. “As a PT, I am trying to get people moving. I want to get Soldiers to use their bodies again in situations where they’ve been in pain, and they don’t want to do that. An anecdote I share with Soldiers all the time is if you wait until you're ready to move or feel like moving, you’re probably not going to do it. It’s about taking that first step.”
That first step isn’t just a physical one. The summit's holistic approach included a day of Struggle Well training.
“Discussions here about Struggle Well Training is so important to what we do as PTs and OTs because it also helps the Soldier take that first step,” said Clingerman.
Davis loves her role from the physical to the mental and spiritual healing processes because it encompasses them all. “I get to dive into the adaptive reconditioning side where I make relationships with the Soldiers to find out what’s going on with them and how we can better help. The other side, for me, involves assisting them with career and education opportunities. We are constantly working to find ways to help.”
Davis and Clingerman shared that they can help tailor the program to the Soldier's needs. “Our activities allow us to get to know our Soldiers better, which means we get to help them even more. We hear stories all the time about how the AR Team has saved their lives.”
When Soldiers move on from the SRU, Clingerman says it's bittersweet, but they are excited for them to progress to the next chapter of their lives. “We love making a lasting impact on them beyond the SRU, plus they know we care about them as people.”
There is a sense of pride in a Soldier overcoming their situation and coming out on the other side. They carry that pride by joining forces with the friends who helped them. “We have Soldiers who return to the SRU and want to mentor the newer Soldiers by volunteering with adaptive reconditioning events. To me, that speaks to how valuable this program is.”
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.05.2024 09:49 |
| Story ID: | 486660 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Helping those who help our Soldiers, by MaryTherese Griffin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
