How to Advocate for Police Families after a Traumatic Brain Injury

In this episode of the Code4Couples podcast, host Cyndi Doyle continues the conversation with Joan Van De Greik about the severe financial impacts following her husband’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained in the line of duty. Joan shares the struggles they faced, including mounting medical expenses, navigating insurance and workers’ comp, the importance of disability and life insurance with living benefits, and ultimately starting her business, Fetch Your Wealth.  

Joan’s story highlights the necessity of financial planning for law enforcement families facing similar challenges.

The Impact of In The Line of Duty Injuries on Law Enforcement families

There’s an injury to the head on the job. If it’s an open wound, it gets addressed, stapled up, and healed. As time goes on, you or your spouse notices that you’re different.
You’re changing your mood, your drive, your impulsivity and your memory isn’t what it used to be.
You aren’t sure what’s happening.
Despite what looks fine externally, you know something is going on.

Joan Van De Greik shares the story of her husband’s injury and their years of struggle, not only to get the diagnosis, but dismissal and betrayal of the city and the fight for compensation as a work-related injury. Joan’s mission is to educate other law enforcement families and help them to be financially prepared should they experience a career ending injury or line of duty death. This is part one of my interview with Joan as she shares her story of the struggle after the incident.

Indirect Trauma in Law Enforcement Relationships

In a dual first responder home, there are times when first person and vicarious trauma must coexist. We may experience the traumatic incident firsthand and then hear the other person’s view of the same incident when we are home together. While the differing perspectives can be beneficial, it’s not always true. Every person’s reaction to a singular incident is different, and sometimes it can be difficult to remember it. Lisa and James Robinson are a dual first responder couple that have and continue to work through traumas both individually and shared. They share how they stumble through and what they have learned to help and support themselves and each other.

Trauma in Law Enforcement Families

Cyndi Doyle and Melissa Kaiser talk about how law enforcement families are impacted by trauma.

As a couple, we are aware that officers and their families can be impacted by the job. Sometimes, the impact is trauma. Trauma can be direct or indirect. Secondary traumatic stress can impact officers, spouses, children, or even extended family and friends. We need to be aware of the signs and symptoms to help ourselves and those we love. Expert, Melissa Kaiser talks about what to look for and strategies on how to counter the impact.

Thriving In and Out of the Career

In this podcast episode, host Cyndi Doyle interviews Brian Ellis, a retired law enforcement officer and creator of Magnus Worx, about the importance of wellness and resilience in the law enforcement profession. Wellness is not just a physical issue, but also a mental one, and it is crucial for law enforcement organizations to prioritize the well-being of their personnel. Ellis discusses the alarming state of public safety well-being and the need for organizations to take action to support their employees. He also highlights the importance of data in measuring the effectiveness of wellness programs and the role of technology in providing a safe and anonymous environment for individuals to express their needs and concerns. Ellis encourages law enforcement personnel to prioritize their own wellness and seek out resources and support, and emphasizes the need for organizations to adopt a strategic and holistic approach to wellness.  

Must have Conversations for Every Law Enforcement Couple

My husband and I were super naive when it came to understanding how his job was going to impact our relationship. I saw it as a career path, just like any other. I mean, sure, there was danger and shift work, but what more could there be?

The Impact of Moral Injuries

Moral Injuries are a significant yet often unrecognized issue among first responders. Understanding what a moral injury is and recognizing its potential impact on careers and families is crucial to their overall wellness.

Communication Challenges in Special Assignments

Communication and connection are a challenge for all of us in law enforcement relationships. There are some extra special challenges when you’re on call all the time or you’re in situations where you just can’t talk due to being in a special assignment such as undercover work or maybe the part of a SWAT team.

Let Family In

“I just don’t want to burden my spouse with what I experience on the job” is a way of protecting the people that you love. I always thought my husband was open only to find out later that this happened a few times within our relationship.