Evidence of meeting #41 for Veterans Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was services.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:05 p.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
We've heard from some spouses that they come face to face with an injured spouse and they don't know what to expect or how to deal with the injury. They asked for training and support. Would that training and support be something that you would support? Do you think it would help?
5:05 p.m.
As an Individual
Definitely. I have accessed an OSI 101 course from the OSI clinic in Fredericton. I have been on a few different courses. I also have a psychology background. I have a degree in psychology, so that has definitely helped with my level of understanding.
5:05 p.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Okay. You said that the case manager tried to discourage your husband from taking the veterans transition program because of the cost. Is cost and money getting in the way of helping our veterans and their families?
5:05 p.m.
As an Individual
Yes. When something would come up and we would call, trying to see if my husband could get approved for a service, the comment given was, “Oh, so you're just looking for more money.”
5:05 p.m.
NDP
5:05 p.m.
As an Individual
Yes. My husband was in the treatment centre at Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. He did go through that stabilization and residential program. He had done a lot of programming and he kept trying to injure himself. He was seeing different psychologists and kept changing because they didn't seem to get the right perspective. Instead of maybe working as a team, everybody said, “Oh, let's blame this on Marc. Why is nothing working for you? What's wrong with you? Let's create a different diagnosis for you.”
5:05 p.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
And the self-injury should have been a signal, shouldn't it?
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Colin Fraser Liberal West Nova, NS
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Stephanie, thank you so much for being here today and sharing your story. I know we're all very grateful for your courage in attending today. This is going to be very helpful so that we can make recommendations to the department and, I hope, fix some of these problems.
I want to touch on something that we've heard from various witnesses while we were doing this study, regarding peer support. Other veterans or former service members have been matched up to assist veterans to feel better about themselves and their situations, explaining things that maybe only somebody who's been through it themselves can understand.
You touched on that yourself when you talked about other military families that you talked to. Do you have any recommendations or thoughts on what could have been done during the transition phase through peer support that might have assisted your husband or your family, if you had been identified and matched up with people who had had similar experiences?
5:05 p.m.
As an Individual
I think...if the follow through were actually to happen. It took a while for my husband to realize that people with the OSISS program were peers who also had issues. He tried to access the service, and people never got back to him. I think the follow-though probably would have helped a lot.
There also has to be an interpersonal connection, because not everyone is going to get along with everybody. That's just human nature, and that's okay. Sometimes you're going to be more connected to another person, but the peer support would be very helpful. What works for me isn't going to work for my aunt here. We're all different people.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Colin Fraser Liberal West Nova, NS
Okay. And are there peer supports for family members that are formally arranged? Is there an organization that does that? Help me understand how that would work for family members too.
5:10 p.m.
As an Individual
There is OSISS, which is operational stress injury social support, for both families and veterans. It has finally worked out for me now in New Brunswick. I tried accessing it in Quebec, but I was an anglophone living in Quebec and it just didn't work out.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Colin Fraser Liberal West Nova, NS
With respect to access to services, we heard from a previous presenter today with military family services, who talked about a suite of online services that are available. Do you access online services and do you have any comment on what services online could be improved upon to make things easier for families?
5:10 p.m.
As an Individual
The services that I access online would be the private groups through COPE and Can Praxis. There are private chat rooms and groups there. It's people I've done some trauma stuff with, built a deep connection with. I wasn't aware of the ones that she spoke about today.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Colin Fraser Liberal West Nova, NS
When you put the emphasis on the “s” in PTSD, I think you've identified the stress that happens when members are transitioning upon being released. I think you hit the nail on the head there.
With the stress in their lives and the impact that can have on the family, can you make any further recommendations that we could identify in a report that would help alleviate some of the stress at the first instance of a service member's release? It seems to me that the stress is overwhelming at the beginning, and it only gets worse from there. You have somebody who is losing their identity perhaps, and, obviously, there are mental health issues involved, and perhaps medication. All of these things are perhaps compounded by financial difficulties as well. Is there some way we can get in there before these stressors compound?
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
5:10 p.m.
As an Individual
I think people need to know when they're being released that they're not going to get paid for a while. That would help. Also, it's having psychological services for everybody.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Bob Bratina Liberal Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Thank you.
Are there better or best days? Is it ever like the old times, or are they gone forever?
5:10 p.m.
As an Individual
It is more common now that he has done VTP twice. He did it once as a first-time veteran and once as a para-professional to liaise between the new veterans and the professionals. He's also done COPE and Can Praxis. Since then he has got off the medication, and you can see it in his eyes. People comment on it. So, there are some days.
