April brings awareness campaign for Occupational Therapy

Photo By Sgt. Scott Davis | Occupational therapy professionals at the Bagram Air Field Freedom Restoration Center, Afghanistan, use many tools to help struggling soldiers relax, including canine, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Timmy. Each April, occupational therapy professionals showcase how they can use their craft to promote health, prevent – or live better with – injury, illness or disability for all service members.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

04.09.2011

Story by Sgt. Scott Davis 

Combined Joint Task Force 101

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Each April, occupational therapy professionals showcase how they can use their craft to promote health, prevent – or live better with – injury, illness or disability.

Occupational therapy professionals are available at the Bagram Airfield Freedom Restoration Center, Afghanistan, as a resource for all service members.

What is occupational therapy?

“Occupational therapy is a rehab science designed to help people live their lives as independently as possible after an injury or illness,” said U.S. Army Capt. Theresa Schillreff, officer-in-charge of outreach and prevention at the Freedom Restoration Center on Bagram Air Field and assigned to the 254th Medical Detachment (combat and operational stress control) “It also covers behavioral health issues and coping techniques for deployment stress.”

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association Inc., occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help people through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing support for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.

What can occupational therapy do for you in Afghanistan?

Occupational therapists focus on two primary practice areas in country: mild traumatic brain injury and behavioral health.


“Here at the Freedom Restoration Center we have a three- to five-day program to help Soldiers with behavior health issues which can stem from stressors of deployments,” said U.S. Army Maj. Cynthia Jones, officer-in-charge of the FRC assigned to the 455th Combat Stress Control Detachment.

“For example, someone might not be getting along with Soldiers in their unit or there could be something going on at home that is affecting them professionally or personally,” said Jones, a Cranston, R.I., native. “We can teach them coping skills to deal with these stressors. The program also gives them a break from the everyday life of being deployed and lets them relax a little.”


“Our primary mission in Afghanistan is behavioral health, but we have other skills as well. We can branch out to some other areas like post-surgical care. So don’t be afraid to ask occupational therapists for help,” said Jones.

There are also MTBI centers in Afghanistan for Soldiers who have experienced any type of blasts.

“If a soldier is within 50 meters of an explosion they will be tested for MTBI. If their test results show any symptoms or they have been diagnosed with a concussion, they are admitted to one of our four MTBI centers in Regional Command-East,” said U.S. Army Col. Robinette Amaker, chief occupational therapy consultant to the U.S. Army surgeon general and attached to Combined Joint Task Force-101. “Even if a Soldier passes the MTBI test and doesn’t feel right that soldier can ask or be referred by their chain of command to be admitted.”

These centers are designed to make soldiers feel as relaxed as possible.

“We make the center feel a lot like a home,” said Amaker, a native of San Antonio. “We want you to be comfortable and be able to sleep well. Most soldiers who come to the center leave after only after one or two days because they were able to sleep really well, and that can make you feel like a brand new person.”

If an entire unit has been through a difficult time in their deployment, the FRC has an occupational therapist who can travel to units and give classes on coping skills, and they bring along their combat stress dog, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Timmy for some relaxation.

“Using dogs as part of a therapeutic medium helps people relax. There are some studies out that show just petting a dog can reduce your heart rate, which reduces stress,” said Schillreff, a native of Tuckahoe, N.J. “Having a dog really opens up the door for us and gives us another way to connect with service members, making them feel a little more comfortable.”

The FRC has a 97 percent return rate of the more than 500 soldiers who have enrolled into the program since its opening in February 2009.

“If you’re injured we want to help you get to your maximum level of functioning and let you get back to your unit,” said Jones. “If you have some issues you need help dealing with, then we want to help you so you can stay in the fight and finish your deployment so you can feel proud of your accomplishments.”

• Date Taken: 04.09.2011
• Date Posted: 04.09.2011 14:35
• Story ID: 68498
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF