Panelist Biographies
Karen Guice, M.D., M.P.P.: The National Alliance for
Caregiving estimates that currently there are about 44
million Americans serving as informal caregivers. … The Dr. Karen Guice, M.D., M.P.P. (moderator), exec-
caregiving role, however, can be pretty demanding. Com- utive director, Federal Recovery Coordination Program,
mon problems for caregivers are the physical, emotional, Department of Veterans Affairs
and financial impact of providing help and assistance. The
types of support they need include access to information, Economist Eric W. Christensen, Ph.D., manag-
counseling, respite care, and home modification or assis- ing director, Health Research Policy, Center for Naval
tive devices. … Caregivers need access to good information Analyses, and author of the report “Economic Im-
in ways that are useful and easy to understand. Sometimes pact on Caregivers of the Seriously Wounded, Ill and
it’s information about the medical condition or what’s Injured,” released in April 2009, that looked at the
needed for recovery or for rehabilitation. Other times, it’s earnings and quality-of-life losses of service-disabled
about the administrative processes, personnel issues, and veterans compared to their non-service-disabled peers
leaving a military career.
Leslie Kammerdiener, mother of Cpl. Kevin Kam-
Economist Eric W. Christensen, Ph.D.: What do we merdiener, USA, who was critically wounded while
find in terms of what the caregivers face? I want to serving in Afghanistan May 31, 2008
focus mostly on the employment aspect because I think
that’s kind of the bottom line of what we found. … Our Noel Koch, appointed by President Obama as the first
survey showed that of those people who are acting as deputy under secretary of Defense, Office of Wounded
caregivers of seriously wounded, ill, and injured ser- Warrior Care and Transition Policy, in May 2009
vicemembers, about three-quarters of them were work-
ing before becoming a caregiver. Shannon Maxwell, cofounder of the Hope for the
Of those, about seven out of eight had to either ... quit Warriors program and spouse of Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell,
their job or give it up temporarily to be a caregiver. … USMC-Ret., who suffered a penetrating traumatic
What do they lose in those jobs? … On average, [the] an- brain injury in Iraq Oct. 7, 2004
nual income of these folks, accounting for their demo-
graphics of their age and their education level, [is] about
$38,000 a year. … Now, the other thing we wanted to Shannon Maxwell: ... I am the caregiver for my husband,
look at was how long are these folks needing a caregiver. Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell, [USMC-Ret.].
… [We found this time period to be] somewhere in the Tim, although very seriously injured with a pen-
neighborhood of a year and a half. And when you look at etrating brain injury, is a high-functioning TBI [trau-
an annual income of about $38,000, well, you’re talking matic brain injury] patient. My caregiving, therefore,
in the neighborhood of $60,000 for a caregiving episode was extremely intense in the beginning and has ta-
of somewhere around a year and a half. So that’s going to pered since, but there needs to be an understanding for
be a substantial impact. … every family of a traumatic brain injury patient that no
matter how high-functioning [the patient], that care-
Leslie Kammerdiener: The first thing I want to say is giver role never ceases. I fulfill roles at home to this
that I am in no way military. … I don’t understand the day to enable him to have the quality of life and be as
regulations, and this event, my son being so critically active as he is. ...
wounded, was horrific upon itself, but it was made all the Tim conceived the idea of the Wounded Warrior Bar-
more worse because I didn’t know how to tread through racks [and] that experience really led us on a path to look MOAA thanks all those who participated in the fourth annual MOAA/U.S. Naval Institute Defense Forum Wash-
all of the regulations. … at other ways [in] which we could help. We looked at not ington Sept. 16, 2009. A special thanks goes to the event’s corporate sponsors, without whom the conference
It’s just not easy taking care of somebody [who] really only the single Marines and the servicemembers but also would not have been possible. For a complete list, visit
www.moaa.org/dfw.
can’t even comprehend that they need taking care of. the families.
… About six months or so ago, my son made the motion … I’m involved with some nonprofit organizations. Sponsors for this year’s defense forum included: Affiliated Business Arrangements (champion), Merck
that he wanted to hang himself. … I have called the VA Hope for the Warriors is one that I cofounded, and that & Co. (champion), Ware-Pak (champion), TriWest Healthcare Alliance (patron), CACI International
hospital, and I said, “Look, my son is suicidal. Help me .” was really to look at the gaps that we could fill across the (patron), Hospital Corp. of America Inc. (patron), Humana Inc. (corporate), Lockheed Martin Corp.
Days went by, and nobody called. So I finally … tackled board for all services. (corporate), American Physical Therapy Association (breakfast), Fisher House Foundation (registra-
the doctor, and I said, “Look, you guys have to help us. … tion), United Services Automobile Association (lunch), and Association of the United States Army
I’m not a neurosurgeon. I’m not a psychologist. I’m not a Noel Koch: … I’m deputy under secretary of Defense ... for (on-scene report).
therapist. I’m just a mom.” transition policy and care coordination. … I’m a Vietnam
72 M ILITARy O ffICe R DECEMBEr 2009
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