Remembering Our Heroes in Pain
Every year on November 11th, Canadians pause in a moment of silence to honour and remember the men and women who have served and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict, and peace.
We remember the more than 2.3 million Canadians who have served throughout our nation’s history and the more than 118,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Remembrance Day was originally known as “Armistice Day” and was a holiday that commemorated the armistice agreement that ended the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918, at 11:00 am; on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Armistice Day was first celebrated on November 11th, 1919, and on November 11th, 1931 the first Remembrance Day in Canada was observed. The name was changed to honour veterans of all wars, rather than having it specifically be about the First World War. This name change was later adopted by other Commonwealth countries after the end of the Second World War.
Remembrance Day is an important reminder for all Canadians to not only honour those who have given their lives in service to our country, but also veterans and those who continue to serve it. Wounded Warriors Canada is a perfect example of an organization with these values. They are dedicated to helping Canada’s veterans, first responders and their families to feel safe, supported, and understood. They do this by providing a variety of mental health-focused, clinically facilitated programs specifically developed to support the unique needs of Veterans, First Responders, and their families. They also provide leading-edge trauma-informed workplace training geared towards helping make trauma exposure management a new professional standard for uniformed service personnel.
Organizations like Wounded Warriors Canada are critical to properly honouring our service people; providing them with the services that they need to re-integrate with society and live long, fulfilling lives.
Mental health issues have a prominent impact on the quality of life and well-being of veterans. Veterans reporting a mental disorder also generally experience more difficulties in their transition to civilian life. In a 2010 study of Veterans who were released from service between 1998 and 2007, about 24% experienced a diagnosed mental health disorder; the most common being depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders.
More than 1/3 of veterans reported a moderately or very difficult transition to civilian life. For those who experienced symptoms consistent with both depression and anxiety, over 6 in 10 had a difficult transition to civilian life. Veterans who experienced symptoms consistent with mental difficulty were less likely to ably participate in the labour market (44% for those suffering from either depression or anxiety, versus 66% for those without a disorder).
By providing mental health services that are specifically designed for their unique needs, Wounded Warriors Canada gives Veterans the support they need to make a more successful transition to civilian life and the workforce. One of the events they host to support this effort is the national Ride for Mental Health.
This past August marked the 3rd annual Ride for Mental Health, bringing together over 525 cyclists, covering an estimated 45,000 km in over 150 communities across Canada, and surpassing their fundraising goal by raising over $425,000 for mental health support of our Veterans, First Responders, and their families.
Participants were pleased to find in their goodie bags, alongside other gifts, samples of Canada’s fastest-growing topical pain relief cream, by KaLaya Health & Wellness.
This year will mark the 2nd annual Buy-One-Donate-One promotion run by KaLaya, whereas for every unit of KaLaya 6x Extra Strength Pain Relief Cream 120g purchased on www.KaLaya.ca from November 4th to 10th, KaLaya will donate a unit to Wounded Warriors Canada to share with their membership in need of pain relief.
For more information visit woundedwarriors.ca to learn more about how you can support their efforts, or visit kalaya.ca to learn more about pain relief and discover which product is right for you.
