Helping Those Living With PTSD
National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day was on Thursday, June 27.
The goal of this day was to make people more aware of the issues individuals face while living with PTSD. PTSD is a mental health disorder that often develops after individuals are exposed to traumatic events. Individuals dealing with PTSD face many symptoms ranging from severe anxiety to avoiding social interactions.
ICAN’s service dog programs serve to provide independence to those living with a disability. Our accredited service dog training and Indiana placement program helps to provide safety, friendship, and independence for children, veterans, and adults with disabilities and veterans with service-related traumas specific to PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma.
It is important to note that training one service dog costs ICAN nearly $30,000. This cost includes training, nutrition, veterinary care, and lifetime support for the dog and client partnership. The organization relies entirely on private donations, charitable foundations, and fundraising initiatives to cover these expenses.
Despite this, ICAN requires clients to pay only $2,500 for their canine partner, and for qualifying veteran clients, the dogs are free.
Currently, there are about 88,000 Hoosier veterans living with PTSD and other service-related trauma. They need our help, and our goal is to be able to serve as many of them as possible after all they have done for our country.
ICAN can help many of these veterans and individuals living with PTSD by providing service dogs that are trained to perform a variety of different tasks including:
- Applying deep pressure therapy
- Creating a safe personal space
- Looking around corners of aisles/doorways
- Searching houses
- Alerting and reacting to emotional responses
- Turning on lights
- Providing mobility assistance
- Assisting with diabetic and seizure alerts
- Retrieving and carrying objects and medications
- Providing wake up alert during nightmares
- Interrupting flashbacks
- Being an in-home skilled companion
ICAN’s mission changes lives on both ends of the leash. Our service dogs provide independence and confidence for children, adults, and veterans with disabilities, offering purpose and a second chance for incarcerated individuals.
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