I hope this is not too cheeky but could you help me please

[Notalone]

I don't know the rules regarding this so I apologise in advance if I have unwittingly broken an MN rule by posting this.

I am a MN regular and am now at uni studying Occupational Therapy. For one of my assignments we have to choose a community of people and discuss in length any difficulties they have had in society and / or as a result of mental / physical disability. I can't choose between military or carers so thought I would see if I could get any feedback on here.

I am particularly interested in discussing post traumatic stress disorder and how this has impacted on the person and their family,though would also like to hear from anyone whose family has been affected by a physical injury too or from those who have not been injured but have left the military and have had difficulty becoming a civilian again (is this term correct - I apologise if it isn't) I realise this is a highly sensitive subject so if you don't mind talking about it but not on here I would be happy to talk via email instead.

Thank you so much in advance. I am really struggling with this assignment so any information, no matter how small would really help me

Thanks!

PS - I would also like to hear perspectives on what it is like being a forces wife / husband in the UK while your DH / DP / DW is away. It has just crossed my mind this would be another angle I could come in from in my assignment. Thanks!

Could help out with your 2nd request, dh is away for 45 weeks this year, so will have plenty of experience this year!!

flappythebat at live dot com, no spaces in proper address and @ . also.

Hey Flappy

Thanks so much. I have emailed you!

Notalone, have emailed you back!

huhu Notalone...get your backside back to the first years thread...

Hmm...my dh could maybe help with the adjustment from army to civvystreet (he is out of the army since last year and found it a bit difficult to adjust....and is still finding it all a bit hard....
and of course I have some experience of him being away...but tbh, I have never been all that bothered by that [bitch emoticon]

if you need any more subjects...we'd be willing, well, I am sure my dh would be...however, he is away for 2 weeks with the TA....
my e-mail is : realjolie at yahoo dot de
(we have a similar assignment, but we are doing an Interview with an over 60 year old that considers themselves healthy and have to include life stage theories and stuff...
and how did your Placement go?

Hey Flappy - thanks! I can't get onto orange mail for some reason atm but will try again tomorrow. Thanks so much for this!

Fairlady - - I am so sorry it has been ages. It got so long that I felt embarrassed to go back on cos I don't really have a good excuse except for life getting in the way. Thank you for helping me too - I will email you tomorrow too if that is ok.
My placement was fantastic - I loved it, I really did. How did yours go in the hand therapy unit? When do you break up?(can't believe we are nearly at the end of first year. It only seems like yesterday we were stressing about first days and enrollment!)

I know...we break up around the beginning of june...well..we have 2 study weeks but have a human health exam the end of june...
my placement was fab...and I got the highest grade in everything from my educator...but uni moderates, so, there is a chance I will be downgraded....
we only started back at uni a few weeks ago...but lots of assignments to do now....yikes...
we got a groupwork session of 30 minutes to organise (working in pairs for that, and instructing a small group)...me and my friend are going to do sensory pouches...and aim the activity at the students as future proffessionals possibly using sensory integration therapy...
have our case study to present, have a formative group presentation about a certain lifestage, and the interview/Essay assignment...and the human health test....

thought of you the other day, because some fellow studenmts went to your uni for a ot student conference...

glad your placement was good and went well...I know you were worried beforehand...

I didn't know your course had exams Fairlady. We are lucky so far that we don't but the course is changing next year so who knows about then. Well done on your placement - you did really really well. A huge pat on the back is well deserved! We are currently doing our options - I am doing Occupational Environment and the Community which is the one I am struggling with and Severe and Enduring Mental Health. We have two 2000 word assignments on these options and a presentation each - one to a pretend funding panel to get funding for a community intervention and another about Bi Polar Disorder. Then its all over until Sept. Wow! Next year is supposed te be a lot harder than first year though according to the current second years. Is yours?

I am going to email you now. Thanks so much for your help re forces life. Is it .com or .co.uk? I am going to send my email to both just in case I think lol!

notalone, no idea, because we are the first course that is on hteir "new" course...but I bet it will be harder....

we will have 2 weeks at Uni in the next term and than will be back at Placement
we are handing our Placement forms in this week, so, will be interesting to see what I am getting next time...would like mental health I think, but shall see

oh and my E-mail (well that one) is a german account, hence .de rather than .co.uk or .com....

I can help you out on 2nd request too.

I can help with your second question as well (my husband leaves for operations next week).

notalone - be aware that my similar assignment (ptsd) required uni ethics approval before speaking to people - had to draw up protocols etc.

also interesting to note that talking to wives is ok, but depending on how anal strict your uni is, talking to military personnel themselves will involve ethics clearance due to their (rofl) institutionalised status.

i know, i know.

you could do a really interesting piece on the difficulties experienced by dependents with additional needs... (thinking spouses and children who require therapies/ interventions/ adaptive housing etc) there are a few about

good luck, hope it goes well x

hf - i might ask you to help me out with mine (i know you haven't offered lol)

i need a VIW to interview in terms of deployed roles...

(and i know you're within earshot lol)

sorry notalone - it just crossed my mind, didn't mean to hijack

Thank you everyone! I have just spoke to uni (thanks for the heads up Madwoman) and they have confirmed the protocols and clearance thing. Arrghhh! Back to the drawing board then. I am sorry for messing you all around - thanks for your help / offers of help though, it really is much appreciated

you could still get away with the military dependents with disabilities thing i reckon... and if you speak with professionals rather than anyone who could be judged to be themselves 'vulnerable' in any way... or have uni said it is a non-starter entirely?

i'm thinking you could call up the army families federation and speak with the additional needs advisor, or ssafa and speak with the additional needs guru... you get the picture.... you can talk about frequent moves affecting continuity of therapy/ waiting lists, difficulites in accessing support in schools for children, the growing plans for 'passports' to work between LEAs, the rules concerning postings o'seas with special needs dependents and the 'does it/ doesn't it' effect on the serving partner's career... as well as the impact on a special needs child or adult integrating into a new community every two years...

tricksy without knowing exactly what your assignment is - is it actual hands-on research (ie speaking to directly-affected individuals) or are you just supposed to hit the library and write an essay based on other people's research/ texts...?

any way round it?

i can tell you lots about being posted o'seas lol.

lol madwoman...

Lol Madwoman - the assignment is on community based integration / rehabilitation so the idea was to look at groups / facilities for those who have left the forces but have PTSD or some other trauma or physical disability.. I found lots of places offering residential holidays / therapy stays but not much for those who don't want to go residential so was looking at something on a day attendance basis. I wanted to talk to those in the forces to make it more realistic but this has been vetoed completely. Am thinking of doing young carers now. Anyone a young carer here?

Did you get my email Fairlady? I wasn't 100% that it actually went cos my internet keeps bloody freezing!

how about looking at the elderly and all those day centres and falls clinics and things...

Well I am a RN wife, who is also a carer.
Hubby and Son are both RN and I care for my cousin who lost a leg, as well as my autistic children.

Can I help at all.