A Haven for Veterans

VETERANS ARE AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO

•Community project

•Support for Veterans

•Horticultural Therapy

•Development and aspirations for the future

A Community Project

• For Service Veterans, particularly those with Mental Health problems.

• Catchment mainly Gosport and Fareham.

• Service Community 5,400 in Gosport alone.

• Working with other organisations.

What we do now?

•Open to Veterans 5 mornings per week•Provide ‘Horticultural Therapy’ and other related activities.•Provide advice and signposting•Work with Veterans Outreach and Support to provide a venue for therapists.

So, what is Horticultural Therapy?

Horticultural Therapy is a professionally conducted client –centred treatment modality

that utilises horticultural activities to meet specific therapeutic or rehabilitative goals of

its participants. The focus is to maximise social, cognitive, physical and/or psychological functioning and/or to evaluate general health

and wellness.Person-Plant-Therapist-Goal

Is this what Shore Leave Haslar does?Not exactly, but:

•We have a defined client group

•We sometimes use ‘plants’ but we may do other activities

•Goals sometimes but not always clearly defined

Community Horticultural project?Probably because:

We offer a service that provides human benefit, including;•Cognitive benefit•Psychological help•Physical activity•Social gains

Lines are often blurred

Benefits

• Enhanced pride and self esteem• Involvement• Patience and delayed gratification• Awareness of natural forces• Interdependence and partnerships• Inner peace based on natural rhythms• Opportunity for focussed attention

What is the Issue?

Service Veterans make up a significant minority of the local population and a percentage will have mental health issues.

Many are not accessing all the services that are available to them due to a lack of knowledge, by the individual and their health providers.

What can we do?

There needs to be a better directory and/or signposting within the health and social care community to highlight local services available for Veterans and their families.

Have you heard of?

• Help for Heroes• Combat Stress• Royal British Legion• RNBT/ABT/RAFBT• SSAFA• BLESMA• Veterans Aid• MS Mutual Support• Seafarers UK

• Veterans Outreach and Support

• The Ripple Pond• Gardening Leave• Alabare• The Poppy Factory• The Warrior

Programme• Agamemnon House

Honouring the Armed Forces Community

• Local Government Information Unit Report.• 12 areas of good practice. Healthcare related

include:– Map the Armed Forces in your area– Publicise services offered to Veterans– Consider Veteran’s needs when designing and

delivering Housing, Health and Education services– Inform Healthcare Practitioners of relevant polices

regarding heightened duty of care to Service families and Veterans

The Future

• Service providers to know which of their clients are Veterans

• Be aware of policies relevant to Veterans• Have a comprehensive directory of services

available to Veterans• Have reliable referral processes in place• Build robust links between health care, social

care and veterans organisations

QUESTIONS?