Presentation before the Ohio Buckeye chapter of the Vietnam Veterans Association, June 11, 2016, regarding the Ohio Veterans Homes and the connection between PTSD and Alzheimer's and Dementia.

1. Ohio Department of Veteran
Services/Ohio Veteran Homes
Connecting Ohio veterans and their families with
programs and benefits
Robin Carlin, Superintendent
Ohio Veterans Homes
June 11, 2016

2. Department of Veteran Services
DVS History
• Formerly known as GOVA
• Established DVS as a cabinet-
level agency in 2008
• Veteran Services
• State Approving Agency
• Troops to Teachers
• Veterans Bonus Program
• Military Injury Relief Fund
• Ohio Veterans Homes
Ohio Veterans Homes
• 2 locations in Sandusky and
Georgetown
• Sandusky opened its doors to
veterans in 1888
• Georgetown in 2003
• Total employment: 990 in
Columbus, Cleveland,
Georgetown & Sandusky
• Sandusky Home has its own
Police Department

4. Recently completed projects included:
Resident safety and fire alarm protection, HVAC mechanical systems upgrade, window
replacement, parking lot expansion, pharmacy relocation and automation, resident room
furniture and equipment replacement
Operational Budget
• $64,552,981 Total
• $48,356,620 Sandusky
• $16,196,361 Georgetown
Capital Budget
• $11,173,641 for FY2015-2016
• $15,505,221 for FY2017-18
• $1,869,200 for FY2019-2020
• $13,243,038 for FY2021-2022
Budgetary Dollars

5. Ohio Veterans Home - Sandusky
The Sandusky campus is located on 94 acres and has 37 buildings totaling almost 668,000 square feet,
including:
Veterans Hall Domiciliary 188,418 sq ft 1992
Secrest Nursing Home 175,980 sq ft 1981
Giffin Nursing Care Facility 126,700 sq ft 1893/1983
Administration Building 38,684 sq ft 1956

6. Ohio Veterans Home – Georgetown
The Georgetown Home opened in 2003 and is located on a 35 acre
campus
Nursing Home 110,686 sq ft 2003
Multipurpose Room 11,000 sq ft 2015
Unheated storage facility 6,875 sq ft
Open air pavilion 2,400 sq ft

7. Criteria for Admission
• Ohio resident for at least one year.
• Have served on active duties during a time of war or
conflict, or have received the Purple Heart, Armed
Forces Expeditionary Medal, Navy/Marine Corps
Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, or
Southwest Asia Medal
• Incapable of earning a living due to disease, wounds
or otherwise.
• Most recent discharge must be Honorable or under
Honorable conditions.

8. 4 Levels of Care
• Independent Living (Domiciliary)
private rooms, dining facility, “reminders” for care
• Intermediate Nursing Care
help with activities of daily living, nursing assistance, dining
• Skilled Nursing Care
round-the-clock nursing care with physician supervision
• Memory Care
supportive environment for individuals with dementia/alzheimers

9. Meeting the Long-Term Care Needs of
Our Vietnam Veterans
• Mental Health
• PTSD
• TBI
• Dementia and Alzheimer’s
• Alcohol and Substance Abuse
• Chronic Health Conditions

10. PTSD Connection with Dementia &
Alzheimer’s Disease
First significant study was published in 2010:
• Between 1997 and 2007, 181,093 veterans 55 or older, who were not
exhibiting signs of dementia were studied.
• Veterans with PTSD were 77 percent more likely to develop dementia than
those without PTSD when risk factors related to Alzheimer’s disease were
included.
• Veterans diagnosed with PTSD were nearly twice as likely as other
veterans to develop Alzheimer’s disease or dementia as they age.
• The common symptom of memory loss indicated that the damage to the
region of the brain controlling memory, the hippocampus, could be caused
by acute stress.

11. PTSD Connection with Dementia &
Alzheimer’s Disease
• According to the VA, it is estimated the following have PTSD:
– 1 in 3 Vietnam veterans
– 1 in 10 Gulf War veterans
– 6 to 11 percent of Afghanistan War veterans, and
– 12 to 30 percent of Iraq War veterans
• A second study was published in 2010 in the Journal of the American
Geriatrics Society, which found:
– Veterans over age 65 who suffered PTSD were twice as likely to be diagnosed with
dementia as were veterans without a PTSD diagnosis
– Study consisted of 10,481 veterans 65 years of age or older and had been seen at least
twice by the VA between 1997 and 1999
– Study led to the belief that getting treatment for PTSD decreases the likelihood for
developing dementia

12. PTSD Connection with Dementia &
Alzheimer’s Disease
• June 2014, the Alzheimer’s Association published the first
ever Alzheimer’s & Dementia special issue providing in one
place the currently available evidence concerning the various
military- and combat-related risk factors and exposures
associated with increased risk of cognitive decline,
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
• Other factors associated with dementia include:
– PTSD
– TBI
– Chemical exposures
– Smoking, alcohol use, substance abuse
– medical conditions, such as diabetes, depression & sleep disturbance

13. OVH Resident Veterans
Veteran Composition
Afghanistan 2
Persian Gulf War 21
Korea 202
Vietnam 313
World War II 218
*some served multiple in more than one war-time period.
Oldest resident 101
Youngest 30
Branches of Service
Air Force 109
Army 364
Coast Guard 4
Marines 88
Navy 183
Males 709
Females 27

14. Interesting Facts
• Cemetery is on the national register – more than 4,000 are buried.
• At least one tree commonly found in Ohio is planted on our grounds:
alder, ash, beech, birch, cherry, fir, elms, sweetgum, walnut, etc. – more
than 30 different kinds!
• Baseball fields used by City of Sandusky – come watch a game!
• Women began being admitted in 1969
• I.M. Mack History museum onsite – named after our first trustee – he was
also the owner, publisher & editor of the Sandusky Register from 1869 -
1909
• Approximately 900,000 – 950,000 pounds of laundry are washed annually
• We maintain over 1,000 sinks and 530 toilets – similar to a large hotel!
• We serve more than 1,800 meals per day – that’s more than 650,000
meals a year!

16. Capital Projects – Current & Future
Current/Ongoing
• Resident safety and fire alarm
protection
• HVAC mechanical systems
upgrade
• Window replacement
• Elimination of “quad rooms”
• Pharmacy automation
• Updated flooring
• New Learning Center
• Improved common areas
• New Memory Care floor
• OVH “Main Street”
Future
• Replace roofing – Georgetown
• Replace flooring & add electrical
outlets – Georgetown
• Handrails and interior door
replacement – Sandusky
• Ceiling tile and lighting fixture
replacement – Sandusky
• Flooring and bathroom
renovation – Sandusky
• Masonry tuck-pointing –
Sandusky
• Pharmacy automated dispensing
system - Sandusky

17. Thank you from the Ohio
Department of Veteran Services
& the Ohio Veterans Homes
Questions?