Care for Veterans – How we help our nation’s heroes

Proud to be nominated for Charity of the Year was Worthing-based charity, Care for Veterans. The charity provides care and rehabilitation for disabled ex-Service personnel from the RAF, Army, Royal Navy and auxiliary services from across the UK.

James Bacharew, Head of Fundraising and Marketing at Care for Veterans, said: “We were delighted to be nominated for the ‘Charity of the Year’ award at the SBT Virtual Business Awards 2021. It was an honour to be able to take part in what was a fantastic evening, surrounded by some of the South of England’s most inspirational businesses, many of whom have played a vital role in securing the future care of our resident veterans and their families here in Sussex and across the UK. The evening was a great success, and we left with a real sense of pride in our community and its people.”

Care for Veterans provides many different types of nursing care and services to meet the needs of its resident veterans. Current residents in its sixty-bed facility are between 35 and 98 years old. The majority have Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) or a degenerative neurological condition, such as multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s.

As an independent provider, the charity can fill the gaps often found between healthcare and social services. It provides residents with access to a complete range of services for people with physical disabilities and complex needs. This tailored and comprehensive approach enables its resident veterans to make good progress towards their rehabilitation goals to give them the very best quality of life in spite of their disability.

How Care for Veterans has helped Anthony regain his independence

Anthony Lowry, 62, was a Steward in the Royal Navy for 20 years. He served in the Gulf War, receiving a medal. In 2018, a stroke left him with weakness in his right side and aphasia, a condition that causes difficulty with communication and language. He also has a below-the-knee amputation on his right leg.

A year ago, he came to live at Care for Veterans after becoming isolated at his home in Havant, Hampshire. Although Anthony hasn’t known the facility without some level of lockdown, he has made incredible progress since arriving.

Craig Burley, Rehabilitation Technician at Care for Veterans, who has worked closely with Anthony, explains: “When Anthony first came in, he was quite reluctant to take part in group activities. He felt uncomfortable at first and wanted to keep to himself. However, when I invited him to participate in a cooking group, it kick-started his involvement in other activities. He started physio sessions, working with one of our Physiotherapists, Vilma, and has also been able to work on speech difficulties caused by his aphasia and can now communicate clearly. Since arriving, he has made a dramatic improvement.”

Anthony expressed a wish to achieve greater independence. However, he found his manual wheelchair was very difficult to use outside on uneven surfaces. The Care for Veterans’ team assisted him in successfully applying for funding for a private electric wheelchair from BLESMA, a charity that enables limbless veterans to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Anthony commented on his experience: “After a year at Care for Veterans, I feel like I have a greater level of independence. I have been having physiotherapy to help maintain my strength on one side and improve it on the other: it’s going pretty good. I am also now able to make my own coffee and do my own cooking.

The group activities are more about integration, getting out and mixing with others. I spent twenty years in catering, so I found the cookery group helpful in many ways. I enjoy cooking, and now I have given up cooking for thousands; it’s more personal; it’s what I fancy cooking!

“During lockdown, my new electric wheelchair has allowed me to move around the facility independently, check-in on the vegetable garden, and getting fresh air whenever I want. Now we are coming out of lockdown, I am looking forward to taking an assessment that will allow me to use my new wheelchair outside the grounds. Then I can get out into the local community. Although not necessarily down to the beach, I’ve seen enough of the sea!”

Your support

It is easy to help Care for Veterans to continue providing these services for our nation’s heroes.

• Sign up for a lottery ticket! Sign up for just £4 a month you can be in with a chance of winning the top prize of £200.

• Sign up for an event – put a team in for our Clay Pigeon Shoot on 11th June or Worthing Golf Day on 23rd September. If you’re feeling adventurous, why not abseil down Brighton’s i360.

• Become a corporate partner – a charity partnership can be of great benefit to your company and employees.

To find out more, visit www.careforveterans.org.uk, email fundraising@careforveterans.org.uk or call the fundraising team on 01903 218444.