March 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 37

PUBLI C H E ALTH
By kellie May

Smoother Transitions
Helping Veterans Return to Active Lifestyles

T

oDay there are nearLy 23 MILLIon Veterans in the United

States. Many have mental and physical disabilities from injuries
sustained during their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Getting
back to " normal life " for many can be a struggle in and of itself. Park and recreation agencies are providing vital programs for veterans with and without disabilities to improve their quality of life. Agencies are partnering with their local offices of
Veterans Affairs (VA) and other community-based organizations offering recreational
opportunities to veterans with disabilities.
The benefits to veterans participating in these
types of programs are physical, social, and emotional. Veterans become physically stronger and
better able to participate in more challenging activities. Through participation, veterans are surrounded by others who have shared similar experiences,
allowing them to talk with one another, build confidence and trust, relax, and begin to enjoy daily life
again. Once they become confident again in their
ability to participate in recreational activities, they
often continue their involvement and even become
role models for other veterans, encouraging them to
participate as well.
Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation in Utah is
partnering with its local VA to offer year-round programs for veterans with disabilities. As part of its
comprehensive services, the agency has an adaptive-recreation component that provides programs
for veterans with various disabilities, including lowvision/blind, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
and substance abuse. The Plus One Pass provides
access to all county recreation centers, including the
fitness rooms, pools, and aerobic classes for them
and a companion. This notable program is offered
free of charge to the fi rst 45 veterans with disabilities. Indoor rock climbing has proven to be one of
the more popular offerings of the program. The veterans visit various indoor rock-climbing walls at
county recreation centers where they learn climbing techniques, safety communication, set-up, knot
tying, belaying, and how to reach the top of climbs.
Recreational therapist Brent Sturm at the VA Medical Center in Huntington, West Virginia, actively

collaborates with local park and recreation agencies
and other community-based organizations to offer
recreational opportunities for his patients. He organizes trips to local golf courses, which offer adapted
golf programs, three-wheel bike races, and fishing
trips. His patients participate in Project Healing Waters, an adapted fly fishing program. Sturm, who enjoys working with local park and recreation agencies
to provide these opportunities, stresses the social,
emotional, and physical benefits to veterans participating in recreational programs. Sturm collaborates
with the West Virginia chapter of Paralyzed Veterans
of America to provide further recreational opportunities, including golf, fi shing, white-water rafting,
and hand cycling. They also work with local park
and recreation agencies in West Virginia to encourage them to increase accessibility at their facilities
and provide recreational opportunities for veterans
with disabilities.
Recreational programming opportunities are also
offered at military bases around the world for veterans and active duty military personnel. At the U.S.
Army Garrison Vicenza (Italy), Aaron Goodman,
chief of the Community Recreation Division, offers a
program called Warrior Adventure Quest (WAQ) for
soldiers who have returned from combat. This exceptional, high adventure program is being offered
at many Army garrisons with returning soldiers.
WAQ is designed to re-create the adrenaline rush
of combat action in a supervised, controlled, high
adventure activity facilitated by the outdoor recreation staff. Soldiers participate in skiing, snowboarding, white-water rafting, and other similar activities

Through
participation,
veterans are
surrounded
by others
who have
shared
similar
experiences,
allowing
them to talk
with one
another,
build
confidence
and trust,
relax, and
begin to
enjoy daily
life again.

w w w . N R P A . O R G    M A R C H 2 0 1 2    Parks

& recreation

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March 2012 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2012 - Parks & Recreation

March 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 1
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2013
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2012
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2011
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