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Member Experiences . . .

Well Spouse Association
 

Upcoming: October 22-24, 2010 Annual Conference, Princeton, NJ    ..Respite Events: Latest Recap  --  All Recaps 

Military Spousal Caregivers - Special Offer - Scroll down   *************************************************************************

Nassau Inn, Princeton, NJ

"The Ivy League of Caregivers"

Well Spouse™ Association

22nd Annual National Conference

Nassau Inn, Princeton, New Jersey

October 22-24, 2010

Keynote speaker: Teena Cahill. More information and List of Conference workshops here:
 Larry Bocchiere, WSA President       Larry Bocchiere 

WSA Members Interviewed:

 -Viki Kind Interview of WSA Board members Terri Corcoran and Richard Anderson

 May 24, 2010. Duration: 1 hour.

 - Nurturing the Nurturers: WSA President Larry Bocchiere's conversation with Dr. Teena Cahill, who will be the keynote speaker at the Princeton, NJ Conference

 May 12, 2010.  Duration: 29 minutes.

 

 Teena Cahill, Psy.D.      Teena Cahill
 Support Our Troops Ribbon

From our WSA Family to Yours! 
Military Spousal Caregivers are invited to Join the WSA, and the WSA Forum -- at no cost!  Details below, and for more info, call the Office 1-800-838-0879, or send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

...Here's what one military spousal caregiver, a WSA member has to say: 

"I am a well-spouse taking care of my husband, a veteran, now for over ten years. He has PTSD, fibromyalgia, knee damage and arthritis, as well as depression and other issue resulting from being an elite soldier to fully disabled at age 35.

I am very lucky to have found Well-Spouse online when our marriage counselor urged me to join a support group. You have a super web presence and were very visible -- an easy option to visit. Everyone is so welcoming, and many services are very accessible." --Alwynne

  
 

Military Spouses caring for Wounded Warriors, you are invited to Join the WSA, and the WSA Forum

The Well SpouseTM Association is reaching out to spouses or partners of wounded warriors. We have created a Military Spouses section in the WSA Forum, with a military spousal caregiver as moderator. Registration in the Forum is free to all, whatever their spousal caregiving situation. 

...listen to what two  more WSA members who are military spousal caregivers have to say:

"I encourage you all with a military WS/IS situation to share and try to get through your special challenges. Having served during the Vietnam era, I have a special compassion for you here. And I believe that as time goes on we will see more WS's landing here from our more recent wars."

"Living with the physical disability is one thing I can handle, but the deeper-seated disability is one that I never will truly understand because I wasn't there....or at least that is what I am told every time I ask a question. No, he still doesn't let me in. Thanks for allowing us to have a place to voice our feelings." 

Free Supporting membership in the WSA 
And in addition, for military spouses, the WSA Board recently voted to offer a special arrangement for the next year,  to allow them to become supporting members of the WSA at no cost, and have access to all areas of the website, not just the Forum. Supporting members normally pay $30 a year and for this receive the newsletter Mainstay, and can join local area support groups, as well as other membership benefits such as  attending respite weekends or the national conference.
Brochure for Military Spousal Caregivers here:  Side 1   Side 2  
Call the Office 1-800-838-0879, or send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your name, email and a short summary of your military spousal caregiving situation, to take advantage of this offer.
We invite you to make the WSA forum the place to discuss how caregiving for a spouse or partner in the military affects you. We hope that the peer-to-peer support that WSA encourages, here and in local area support groups will help lighten your load, and help you to feel less alone in your situation.
We have also added a subsection on Military Spousal Caregiving in our Resources section.  Caregivers of Veterans -- Take a Survey here
Assistance for Veterans/ Families
WSA has begun partnering with Military organizations in an attempt to assist the many  families that have given so much to our way of life.  WSA is lucky to have amongst its own Judith DiEmidio a WS and retiree from U.S.O.  Judith has introduced us to her ‘coalition’ which includes:
Vicki Ray – who works closely with the Department of Defense
Paula Kruthoff – a Silver Star Mom with a background in PTSD and TBI
Carl Cronk – who has a 43 year background in Veteran Affairs who now dedicates his time to assisting veterans and their families.
These four individuals provide valuable service to our veterans and their families in need and will be supplying us with new members as the need arises.  We in turn can refer our own Veteran family members to them for their assistance.  It is important to understand that this is a grass-roots campaign and assistance cannot be immediate.  When last I spoke to Carl he had twenty-seven (27) live cases awaiting assistance.  Although no-one is ever turned down, unfunded retirees can only do so much work in a day – so we beg your patience.
If you care for a disabled veteran I urge you to reach out to Carl et al for some much needed expertise.  Please feel free to contact me with any comments.
Larry Bocchiere, President WSA
 

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Did You Know . . .

Greg Henson Pop Music
 

 Download, and Support WSA

The WSA is pleased and excited about a fundraising project one of our friends has undertaken. Greg Henson, singer/songwriter, has just released “Pop Music,” an album dedicated to raising funds for the Well Spouse Association and The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Sample audio tracks  

 7. Something in the Air Tonight

 8. Poor Lonely Joan

Read more...

WSA Stories

The Most Loving Thing

The Most Loving Thing

By Dizzy -- WSA Support Group Leader, Forum and WSA Member 

A year ago today I walked out of the assisted living community without her.  It was quiet--deeply quiet--walking alone to my rented car and driving away.  Away.  A dreadful word loomed just beyond my sense of exhaustion, relief and freedom.  I didn't think about it head-on, but it lurked there waiting.  Abandonment.

A series of illness had hijacked her, and me, and dropped us in a strange land.  Her with dementia, me with my own madness for which I have no name.  It is the madness of loss--loss of a lovely home, a good job, friends, family, retirement, travel, community, intimacy, companionship--peace

Read more...

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