WINCHESTER, CALIF., Aug. 22, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In today’s fast-paced world, modern medicine has seen rapid advancements and undergone enormous changes. Many procedures that used to require hospitalization are now done on an outpatient basis, and high tech medical equipment has aided in saving countless lives that otherwise would have been lost to massive injury.
There is one thing, however, that hasn’t changed, and that’s the therapeutic value arts and crafts can have on veteran patients during injury recuperation or rehabilitation.
In VA and military hospitals everywhere, young men and women injured and disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan are utilizing this different kind of medicine—medicine sometimes referred to as “medicine in a box.” Many of these patients have sustained hand, arm and leg wounds from gunshot or explosive devices and it has been reported that arts and crafts used in subsequent occupational therapy settings can help redevelop or improve fine motor skills. In a hospital environment, the kits have helped shift a patient’s focus away from pain following surgery, and for those diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, working on the crafts have assisted in regaining critical thinking skills as well as improving memory. There are virtually countless applications for the utilization of arts & crafts in a healthcare setting. Completing kits have even led to more rapid healing than expected as veterans often become more willing to participate in their recoveries.
“More and more hospitalized veterans are requesting our arts & crafts kits than ever before,” said Mike Lynch, president and CEO of Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV), the largest provider of free arts and crafts kits to VA and military hospitals worldwide.
“We’re extremely humbled by the fact that many of our nation’s young service men and women are requesting HHV kits during their recoveries. The kits have even become hobbies for former veteran patients, often leading veteran patients to enjoy a more satisfying and healthy leisure activity.”
CONTACT:Frank Cimorelli
928-771-2071
v4vconcerts@cableone.net