I work to help veterans in Manchester- this Christmas, the hardest step is reaching out

Charities across Manchester are hard at work over the festive period, continuing to support those in need. Help for Heroes is an organisation that supports former military personnel, and the charity is a lifeline for many people across the country. The charity is currently in touch with 46 veterans in Manchester and five people who were locally embedded civilians, these are local people who worked with the British armed forces.

Duane Fletcher is a clinical advisor for Help for Heroes and is part of a three person team looking out for veterans in Manchester. He told ManchesterWorld about his work, why it is important for veterans to reach out, and how the charity is there to help.

“Myself Emily and Jan are the clinical team,” Duane said. We look after the physical healthcare needs of veterans across the north, including Manchester. I’m an ex-Army nurse along with my colleague Emily, and Jan is civilian and she is an occupational therapist. We cover most bases between the three of us.

“We help veterans to get on with their lives, which is probably the easiest way to explain what we do.”

The charity is there as a further option to the NHS, which Duane explained they know is often very busy.

“The NHS as we know is doing its best, it struggles to cope with capacity. We have the ability to help alongside the NHS and give people things like extra physiotherapy, we have a contracted physio on the team. We have access to remedial instructors who have looked after those who have had strokes.

“In Manchester these are the two key areas where we are used. Pre-operative physio-therapy to get people stronger before operations, and then post operative which is getting people back to better fitness after their operation. Our instructors also look at the neurological rehabilitation after a stroke.

“The NHS wants you to be able to stand up, walk, go to the toilet and do basic things. We want you to be able to have a really good function, so we supplement this with our physiotherapists.”

As Christmas draws near, Duane outlined why the festive period can be a tough and lonely time for veterans.

“It’s important for everyone to have support. Veterans tend to like to self isolate, and if you can get a veteran to talk it is so much better. The difficult thing is Christmas comes so soon after Remembrance Day, and people sometimes isolate over this period. It can be quite a sad time if you’re isolated at Christmas. You want to be celebrating with family and kids and friends.”

The help is there for veterans, said Duane, but he outlined what the toughest part of the journey is for them.

“The biggest and hardest step is people stepping forward and saying ‘I need help’. Once you make that step there are so many people out there who are willing to help. They will help you, there are so many services across Manchester who will be able to help but the biggest hurdle is asking for help.

“Sometimes it is pride which stops you from doing it. It’s important to drop that bit of pride and just say ‘please help me’. It’s massive to step over this.. Veterans are taught in the military to look after themselves and rely on teammates but not necessarily rely on everyone. If you’ve got nothing and you need to ask for help, this is sometimes difficult for some of our veterans.

“I spend days visiting people in Manchester because I think that’s a key to my job, to see them in their homes and talk to them to get them on the path to recovery, and enjoying a quality of life.”

There are plenty of ways that the public can support Help for Heroes at Christmas and in the coming year, as Duane explained.

“We have a good section on our website where you can post a note to a veteran, and even something as small as saying ‘thank you for your service’ can mean quite a lot. I’m a veteran myself and I went to the service at the Centopah in London and it's the first time people have thanked me for my service. It gives you such a good lift. I would suggest if people can post this, that would be fantastic.

“We are a charity, we rely on public support like any other charity, and there are loads out there that struggle with cash flow because money is tight. Bills have gone up significantly. If you have the ability to donate, please do.

“But more importantly, just spread the word that Help for Heroes is there to do what it says in the title. We’re here to help and wherever we can, we will help veterans. That’s the biggest message for me. If you need help, please ask because it's waiting and available.”