Calling All Innovators For The “CAREGIVERS SHARK TANK”

The National Caregivers Conference is inviting innovators, inventors, researchers and thought leaders to share their new ideas, products, technology’s, or therapeutic concepts that aim to transform the health and role of family caregivers. The National Caregivers Conference is returning to New Jersey since Superstorm Sandy forced its cancellation in October 2012. This annual conference is renowned for its National level speakers, workshops and exhibitors who address both individual and national issues facing the caregiver community. […]

VA provides service dog benefits to Veterans with mental health disorders

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it is piloting a protocol to implement veterinary health benefits for mobility service dogs approved for Veterans with a chronic impairment that substantially limits mobility associated with mental health disorders. “We take our responsibility for the care and safety of Veterans very seriously,” said VA Under Secretary for Health, Dr. David J. Shulkin. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is committed to providing appropriate, […]

VA’s Polytrauma System of Care Marks One Million TBI Screenings

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Polytrauma System of Care (PSC) has hit the one million mark in screening Veterans for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), often regarded as one of the signature injuries of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. TBI symptoms such as severe headaches, memory loss, reduced executive functioning, and tinnitus can range from manageable to seriously disabling, potentially limiting a Veteran’s ability to work and manage daily living. Screening Veterans for […]

Breakthrough Found In The Treatment Of Posttraumatic Stress

BY FRANK BOURKE, PHD September 11, 2001. The events that occurred on that day shook the world to its roots. Hundreds of survivors of the attacks, the first responders who survived the horrors of that day and many family members, began to suffer from exposure to that extreme trauma. The resulting posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms began to take a toll on their lives. To help deal with this flood of PTSD victims, a group […]

Brain training induces lasting brain & mental health gains for veterans, civilians with brain injury

In the first study of its kind, veterans and civilians with traumatic brain injury showed improved cognitive performance and psychological and neural health following strategy-based cognitive training. The Department of Defense-funded study, published this week in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, was conducted by an interdisciplinary team of cognitive neuroscientists, rehabilitation specialists, and neuroimaging experts from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas. “Veterans and others who have sustained traumatic brain injuries often experience […]