It is important for representatives of government bodies, local governments, and specialists at all levels to understand how to build relationships with the veteran community in order to overcome mistrust and eliminate the prerequisites for conflict situations.
To build this understanding, it is worth implementing ethical codes of conduct in relations with the veteran community. Such codes should contain principles and rules of conduct, the foundations of forming relationships, attitude towards one's work, and the performance of official duties.
This is emphasized in the "Barrier-Free Handbook", created at the initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.
The ethical code of conduct in relations with the veteran community should be based on:
– Respect for veterans, their family members. A representative of a government body, local government, in his actions, words, and attitude must show sincere respect for a person who gave part of himself to defend the Motherland. Regardless of the physical or emotional state of the veteran. Sometimes your participation and help can radically change the life of a person who, before communicating with you, did not see any opportunities to solve his problems.
– Thank the veteran, if appropriate. Without theatrical gestures. Through a simple thank you, you can express your respect and willingness to help, and it will also help build trust.
– Maximum involvement in your work. It is necessary to do everything possible to ensure the realization of the rights and legitimate interests of veterans and their family members. Do this transparently, openly, honestly, reporting on successes and problems that arise during the fulfillment of the request for assistance: «Your application is currently under consideration in …, there is a problem with …, in order to resolve it, I did this …, so I think everything will be fine.».
– Introduction of elements of case management in interaction with the veteran. Recording of all important communication nuances, special needs of veterans, their families in order to provide substantiated answers to their requests. Preparation and proposal of alternative solutions to problems.
– Aggression, nervousness are unacceptable. You can get a very strong reaction to minimal disappointment, unfriendliness, etc. Veterans have a heightened sense of justice, dislike disorder, and disruption of order. The emergence of a conflict can also cause a strong reaction from the veteran community, because the bonds between brothers/sisters are very strong.
– When communicating with a veteran, keep in mind that they are often withdrawn and want to close themselves off from others. These people often do not trust those who have not experienced combat. In this case, it is best to involve other veterans in communicating with them, in particular, leaders of the veteran movement in the regions.
It is worth being prepared when interacting with veterans for the manifestations of the consequences of mine-explosive brain injuries. They can manifest themselves in increased anxiety, emotional instability, hyperexcitability, irritability. There is a whole list of symptoms and consequences of this injury, which changes the human nervous system and can cause certain physical manifestations. The same applies to prosthetic limbs - it is important to be prepared for interaction with a person who has accepted or is still on the path to accepting their new body and new life.
It is worth knowing how to react to various manifestations of stress in a person, information about this can be found here.
In this context, it is important to promote the work of veteran communities and platforms such as veteran spaces (veteran homes, veteran hubs, etc.) in every possible way. This will help veterans with reintegration and facilitate their communication with government officials and local self-government. Such platforms can contribute to the development of joint solutions to veteran problems.
Veterans are used to clearly following orders and obeying commanders. Accordingly, they may have difficulty making decisions. Therefore, when appropriate, give clear instructions: what, when, where, and in what sequence to do to solve the problem. It is best to do this in writing, in the form of a memo, because difficulties with concentration and memorization are quite common consequences of participating in combat operations.
It is also worth developing and using nonviolent communication skills - honest, respectful and compassionate. Violent communication is coercive, manipulative and painful, using language that evokes fear, shame or guilt. Such communication is ineffective because it distracts from clarifying real needs and from solving the problem. Nonviolent communication is based on the idea that we all share universal human needs for trust, security, gratitude, etc.
We are not immune to mistakes in communicating with a veteran. And it is quite normal to make mistakes and apologize, to feel ashamed and say so. You admit your mistake - and this also reduces the tension in communication. Then veterans will not have the feeling that they are being spoken to like children, from whom inadequate reactions are expected.
Take care of yourself, don’t burn out — this is very important when working with people. Don’t overwork yourself, allow yourself to rest, stop in time to restore energy, don’t do too much, but just enough to be able to rest. Don’t let sleep deprivation happen: according to studies, people who sleep less than six hours a day have worse motor skills and lower cognitive abilities. Don’t endlessly redo what has already been done — refinements can significantly improve the result only at first. But there comes a point when we put in more effort than we get results. Try to accept the following truth: a job is «done» at the moment when the amount of effort expended becomes greater than the result they give. Monitor your condition so that you can stop and rest in time.