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Wellness While Waiting Guide | South Central MIRECC

Cover of Wellness While Waiting - A self-help guide for Veterans listed for transplant

About

The Wellness While Waiting patient education materials were designed to promote physical and emotional wellness for Veterans awaiting organ transplant and their caregivers. The Wellness While Waiting Guide covers several topics including common emotional responses to the wait for transplant, skills to increase emotional wellness, and strategies to continue engagement in health-affirming behaviors.

The 5 supplemental handouts cover additional mental health topics (depression, anxiety, cognitive compensatory skills, relapse prevention for tobacco use, and relapse prevention for alcohol or other drug use). All materials also assist with care navigation within the VA by directing Veterans and their caregivers to appropriate resources.

Recommendations for Use: These materials were designed to be both broadly applicable and individualized, through the use of a “core packet” and a series of supplemental handouts. Transplant Providers can give the “core packet” to all Veterans listed at their facilities, even those Veterans who are fairly low-risk for post-transplant complications or who have not been given specific psychosocial recommendations. Veterans who have been given specific mental or behavioral health goals can be given any combination of the 5 supplemental handouts, in addition to the “core packet”.

The Core Packet consists of:

  • The Wellness While Waiting Guide
  • Visit agenda cards to facilitate Veteran-Provider communication
  • A Caregiver Wellness handout to emphasize good caregiver self-care and offer further resources for caregiver support
  • Published 2020

This product is a best practice.

 



Developers

Shiquina Andrews, PhD, Ali Abbas Asghar-Ali, MD, and Jennifer Bryan, PhD.

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Use of these Materials and Finding VA Health Care

Please note that the health care information provided in these materials is for educational purposes only. It does not replace the role of a medical practitioner for advice on care and treatment. If you are looking for professional medical care, find your local VA healthcare center by using the VA Facilities Locator & Directory.

Last updated: December 19, 2023