DENVER — As we get ready to celebrate the Fourth of July, this is a reminder to keep veterans in mind.
Denver7 talked with Chief Clinical Officer of Porch Light Health, Steve Carleton. He works with veterans and had this to share.
“Freedom is not free, right?,” Carleton said. “Freedom demands sacrifice. There’s been a lot of people that have fought and died for that, and just understanding that people who have served have a closer connection to that sacrifice, and that just taking a minute during your Fourth of July to contemplate, have some reflection around that.”
Carleton said it’s worth connecting with veterans in your neighborhood ahead of the fireworks to understand how they celebrate Independence Day.
“How do you celebrate the Fourth of July? I think open-ended, simple questions can help you get some perspective on how do they celebrate. What are their preferences?” Carleton said. “Because you'll also come across combat veterans that don't care. So we don't want to over generalize and say all combat veterans don't like fireworks and don't like big celebrations. That wouldn't be true. But there certainly are those out there that that it does impact.”
Health News
How to support veterans with PTSD during the Fourth of July holiday
Sometimes veterans might have a sign up that they aren’t comfortable with fireworks. And Carleton said if you know that, to make sure as many people as possible know, including kids.
"It's the random, erratic noises that can be problematic. Even if people know a fireworks show is planned, the unexpected sounds can lead to anxiety and trigger traumatic memories,” Carleton said. “With trauma and PTSD, it really is your brain just remembers, right? When your brain sort of has a trigger for that memory, it activates that whole nervous system. It activates that whole response system. Our brains are programmed to lock up sort of all of those different triggers, and anytime you encounter them, it represents danger, right? So that's what I would have people think about.”
Here are more tips and resources for Veterans with PTSD:
- If you receive care from VA Eastern Colorado, you can call 720-723-7310 (Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center) or 719-327-5660 option 4 (PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom Outpatient Clinic) to talk with their mental health team.
- Veterans in crisis or those concerned about them can call 911, the Veterans Crisis Line at 988 and select 1 or visit the Veterans Crisis Line website.
- Download the free PTSD Coach app for coping tools and resources.
- Use earplugs, headphones, or white noise machines to help block fireworks noise.
- Consider spending time in quieter locations or areas where fireworks are not allowed.
