Page 44 - Total War on PTSD Final

overwhelming, and often expose vulnerabilities and gaps in our preparedness, they can also be seen as opportunities to quickly adapt, innovate and learn”.
Those already identified as being at-risk may need further support in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. “For instance, Veterans who live on meagre ill-health pensions or benefits may be less able to sustain themselves during a period of self-isolation. Consideration for how best to support such individuals should be treated as a special issue during coronavirus risk response” (Mcfarlane, Jetly, Castro, Greenberg, & Vermetten, 2020). Mcfarlane et. al also highlight the importance of the development of a program for “managing anxiety through exercise and relaxation strategies for those in isolation. In addition, technology must be leveraged to disseminate these programs and, ideally, tailored to the Veteran milieu”.
However, according to Dan Sabbagh from The Guardian journal, there are some Military Veterans who are hopeful that they can help this situation. Military Veterans “who served in Afghanistan and Iraq who have drawn up a package of guidance and support to help NHS workers cope with the traumatic stress from treating patients on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis” (Sabbagh, 2020).
According to an interview with Sabbagh, “Carole Betteridge, a former Navy nurse who ran a field hospital at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, said the understanding of traumatic stress had changed dramatically over the past 20 years and lessons could be shared”. She spent 26 years in the Navy as a nurse and medical planner and is now head of welfare and clinical services at Help for Heroes. Betteridge goes on to say that “there are so many parallels I can see between the military experience and what NHS workers are having to deal with. This is a conflict situation and we have to make sure we care for the care
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