Reaching out to ageing veterans
A former soldier who was seriously wounded in action has taken up a posting with a welfare project that helps ageing veterans in hospitals.
Nathan Cumberland, 33, works with the Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) on a project that was piloted in Manchester, Bristol and Somerset, and has been extended to Nottinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Scotland.
The Aged Veteran Welfare Support Project focuses on supporting the over-65s who are in hospital, and their families.
Nathan, a married father-of-one, from Fernwood, works within the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) tracing and assisting those who have served in any branch of the Armed Forces.
With the number of older veterans growing, there is an increased demand for a professional service to support them.
Nathan said any hospital admission or a programme of treatment could be a stressful and daunting experience.
Older veterans, when they returned from combat, did not receive the same level of support as today’s Servicemen and women.
That is thought to have led to undetected mental and physical health conditions, as well as difficulties returning to civilian life, resulting in other problems such as marriage breakdown, unemployment and homelessness.
Due to the nature of service life, veterans are less likely to have family nearby or an established support network, leading to loneliness and isolation, which can hamper recovery.
Nathan said that as a generation trained not to show weakness, they may not highlight health problems when they arose or question medical staff, as they saw that as a sign of weakness.
'They are unaccustomed to asking for help'
He said veterans often experienced physical health issues linked to their service, such as combat-related injuries and back problems from carrying heavy equipment, ear, nose and throat problems, sleep disorders and chronic pain problems, as well as mental health issues.
“There are thousands of ex-Forces personnel out there. It is just reaching them,” Nathan said.
“They are the ‘get on with it’ generation unaccustomed to asking for help.
“They may have a whole new occupation after leaving service and it may well not occur to them that their service means they are eligible for help.
“There is a misconception that help is only there for those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and, if you didn’t, you aren’t eligible for assistance. That isn’t right.
“Many veterans believe help is only available for war-related injuries/illnesses, but we support all aged veterans and even their families when they are in hospital.
“Whether they served a day or their full 22 years, it doesn’t matter, and National Service is included. If they are on the medical pathway, we can help them.”
Nathan believes his own experiences mean there is a stronger likelihood that other veterans will relate to him.
Lance-sergeant Cumberland, of the Grenadier Guards, was six weeks into his third tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2009, when he was caught in the blast of an Improvised Explosive Device while leading a foot patrol in Helmand Province.
Despite his injuries, Nathan continued to direct his men from where he lay throughout a Taliban ambush that followed the blast.
Doctors said his month-long hospital stay was one of the shortest for anyone with injuries so severe.
He lost both legs and now uses prosthetic limbs.
He went on to compete at two Invictus Games — the competitive games for wounded Forces personnel set up by Prince Harry.
“A response from a veteran can be: ‘What do you know, you never served.’ In my case they pretty much know from the outset I did and what I gave up,” said Nathan.
“I will have seen and experienced some of the things they have been through and know what it is like to have been in the Forces.
“We are living longer as a population so the need for charities like ours that can take the pressure off the NHS is only going to be greater.
“Some (veterans) may have mental health issues they are unwilling to admit to.
“Some might have dementia — some of the veterans I have met struggle to remember their name, but if you ask them their service number, nine times out of ten they will reel it off.”
'Some will be lonely and are happier in hospital'
Nathan said the project also helped the NHS at a time when pressures were more severe than they had ever been.
“Some veterans might have issues over their care that they are unwilling to talk to the nurses or doctors about,” he said.
“Some may be homeless.
“Some will just be lonely and are happier in hospital because they can interact with people, some might want to go home but aren’t sure how they will cope.
“DMWS welfare officers can be the bridge so that the medical professionals can better understand what is going on with a patient, treat them better and have them discharged quicker with the confidence that they are OK to go home because there are support networks in place.
“Once we have a referral, we can be there the next day doing what we can.
“We are a signposting service too. We can assist in putting any patient directly in touch with someone who can help them with any need — housing, a requirement for a stair lift, white goods — the list is endless.
“There are many organisations we can get help for them from such as the Royal British Legion and Age UK.”
In addition to NUH, a pilot scheme is set to be launched within Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, initially at King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, but, Nathan hopes, will be extended into Newark Hospital within six months.
It is hoped the scheme, initially funded for two years, can be rolled out into every NHS trust in Nottinghamshire and to the county’s care homes.
Nathan said he wanted to see a national database of veterans compiled by the NHS.
Former soldier Nathan Cumberland works for the Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) as a welfare officer in Nottinghamshire, alongside Tanner Gibbins-Klein.
Since 1943, the DMWS — an independent charity — has been providing help and support to the Armed Forces community and other frontline staff whenever they are receiving medical treatment.
To find out more about its work go to www.dmws.org.uk or call 01264 774000.
The Aged Veteran Welfare Support Project is funded by the Aged Veterans Fund. The grant awarded to DMWS subsidises welfare officers like Nathan Cumberland and colleague Tanner Gibbins-Klein in Nottinghamshire.
The aim is to improve mental wellbeing, encourage a positive approach to treatment, reduce social isolation, and promote independence, which can lead to earlier hospital discharge.
It is a service tailored to the individual needs of the patient and their family.
It provides:
- A confidential, impartial and non-judgmental listening service.
- Bedside visits.
- Help with resolving any medical care issues and to understand treatment, supporting patients and families when talking with medical teams and providing a patient’s family with emotional and practical support.
- Accompanying and supporting patients at outpatient appointments.
- Intelligent signposting to other organisations for support.
- Help to make sure that support and services are in place when a patient leaves hospital.
- Telephone support and follow-up post-discharge.