BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Kenten Van Auken comes from a military family, and recently moved back home after serving in the Navy. He tells 2 Works for You the transition to civilian life isn't always easy.
"Saying "it's ok, it's ok, it's ok" can only do so much. It's really hard to understand that," Van Auken said.
That's why Natasha Dahm started Veteran Caregiver Assistance, which offers classes to families. These courses teach everything from how to administer medication, to the best ways of handling PTSD.
Dahm noticed a need during her career as a nurse.
"We give them this news and then we really don't have anywhere else to send them or anything else to give them. It's basically they're just on their own from that point. So over the years as a nurse I've seen this problem that we've had and there's no way to fix it," she said.
Some families in Broken Arrow are caring for multiple generations of veterans, and said programs like this can make all the difference.
"I will be able to care for him more effectively and be able to just love him the way that I want to," Molly Van Auken said.
Van Auken is married to a veteran, and her son and father are both vets that live at home. The mother said she's happy to have this time, and after these classes, new resources to care for her dad suffering from dementia.
"He was always off serving. Now it's bonus time for me. Because now I get to have him for all that time where I didn't get to have him while I was growing up," Van Auken said.
The classes are free and offered in locations throughout Green Country. For more information, click here.
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