I started dating my partner when we met, which happened to be 10 days out from his first deployment to Afghanistan, so it seemed like a given that I knew what I signed up for, right? Except I knew nothing about the world of Defence, army or service families. Fast forward three years and I still didn’t know much more about this world. You see, not only was he deployed the first eight months but we were between two locations. I lived in Sydney where I attended university. He was posted to Adelaide. When I wasn’t talking to my partner, I was head down in textbooks, lectures, assignments, and exams. Naively, I didn’t once stop to think of the community I had joined or to seek out a military partner community I belonged to. I didn’t even register that there was a community I was part of, much less that they existed in online groups I could connect with them in. It didn’t occur to me then, that we needed to be, but weren’t (and in any case couldn’t have been) recognised with Defence. We just planned on getting to my graduation in 2016, after which I’d join my partner in location. Until then, we got by on phone calls, texts, and the odd reunion with one another. Between deployment, tempo and uni semesters, we had about 30 days together over these three years. So, the first thing I knew of medical downgrade was when I found we were going to be going through it and it was anything but easy.
Since our first medical downgrade together in 2015, we’ve experienced three (3) more med downgrades due the deterioriation of existing as well as new injuries and the onset of mental health conditions. For my husband, his total number of medical downgrades stands at 6 in 17 years. Each time, there has continued to be ineffective medical treatment and supports due tu unaddressed issues and a lack of education. Not only that, but I came to recognise myself as a carer and the lack of others recognition that they too are a carer, as well as the recognition and understanding of our identities and needs.
That led me to start raising the profile of medical downgrade and caregiving within the Defence and Veteran communities.
In late 2022, this advocacy led to the establishment of the first and inaugral Defence and Veteran Partners and Carer Community Roundtable. Below you can read the press release for this roundtable.
Australia’s First Defence and Veteran Partner and Carer Community Roundtable a huge success
Defence and Veteran Carers, State Government and support organisations came together recently to connect, share stories of lived experience and knowledge at Australia’s first Defence and Veteran Partner Carer Roundtable (DVPCR).
Facilitated by The Home Post in partnership with Veterans SA, the DVPC Roundtable provided partner carers with a platform to empower each other and acknowledge the vital role they play as well as share their experiences and challenges with service providers.
“Partner Carers are often overlooked but they too need support and services,” says Julia Michel.
Various community members and stakeholders were in attendance including Veterans SA, The Legacy Club of SA and Broken Hill, Australian War Widows (SA), the Partners of Veterans Association, Defence Kidz, Carers SA and several current Partner Carers, all of whom were open to engaging in an open dialogue and learning from those in need of support and services.
QUOTE HERE FROM JULIA MICHEL, Founder of The Home Post: “I know from my own lived experience that there is much work to be done to support Partners who become carers as a result of medical procedures, medical downgrades or discharges, and transition from the ADF, so it was great to see that the organisations in attendance were open to hearing what our journey is like.”
“Now we can all work together to ensure funding and programs for Partner Carers are provided in the future”.
From the roundtable, 5 key topics and challenges emerged for our Defence and Veteran Partner Carers, which are:
- Recognition and validation of the unique Partner Carer identity, including as a cohort in its own right with regard to advocacy;
- Awareness and education of supports for current serving families during medical downgrade, or periods of injury/illness;
- Access and eligibility of injured, downgraded or transitioning Defence Members regarding existing support services, in particular in-home services;
- Inclusion and integration of partners in any education, including about support services, medical downgrade or discharge processes, superannuation and Department for Veterans’ Affairs schemes; and
- Existence and development of genuine and tangible Partner Carer support services and networks to provide them with supports and/or respite.
Plans for further local and national roundtables are already on the cards.
QUOTE HERE FROM Ms Chantelle Bohan, Director, VETERANS SA:
“By facilitating open conversations such as these, we are helping to connect Defence and veteran partner carers with support organisations who can provide the vital services needed to ensure the wellbeing of those who support our current and former serving ADF members.”
Following on from this roundtable, the Home Post’s Julia will develop resources, partnerships and programs for Defence and Veteran Partner Carers and communities.
“If there is one passion my lived Defence Partner experience has given me it is to INFORM, EQUIP and EMPOWER Defence and Veteran families one checklist, plan and resource at a time.”
I founded The Home Post to build a community and to create support resources. The roundtable was further confirmation that creating the first ever checklist system to support Defence families across the full life cycle of military life is something that is in desperate need and would help families greatly.”
The Home Post is an online resource and support hub developed to address the uncertainty and overwhelm of Defence life for partner carers.
The resources have been uniquely created based on over a decade of lived Defence Partner and Veteran Carer experience.
For more information about The Home Post or the Defence and Veteran Partner Carer Roundtables, please visit: https://thehomepost.org/ or email [email protected]
For further media enquiries or comment contact Julia Michel via The Home Post email address: [email protected]