Resources for Valley veterans feeling isolated

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- John Baltierra is simply a marine and service veteran.

He served successful the subject for much than a decade, and successful caller years, he's been getting attraction astatine the Fresno VA Medical Center.

"In 2018, I developed an corruption successful my limb with sepsis, and I ended up successful the infirmary and they transferred maine implicit here," helium said.

John presently stays astatine the Community Living Center, but it was a hard modulation moving into the facility.

He felt a consciousness of choler and loneliness. The pandemic didn't marque it immoderate easier.

"Nobody was successful present and we were isolated," helium said. "We lone had each other."

Loneliness is an epidemic that affects galore people, similar our retired work members.

The Department of Veterans Affairs says they marque up a important portion of the U.S. population.

"Veterans marque up astir 6% of the US population," says Dr. Sydney Ray. "They person a unsocial acceptable of shared experiences."

To assistance vets similar John, the VA offers assorted programs to header with the feeling of isolation, and support them connected.

"Creative arts, tons of antithetic coating and level arts truthful they tin person their originative expression," says VA Central California Recreation Therapist, Michelle Trigueiro. "We person a plot truthful they tin get immoderate sunshine."

John said helium present finds comfortableness 1 portion astatine a time, with a absorption connected finishing puzzles.

Even coloring pictures helps him cope.

Another assets that is offered by the VA is the Compassionate Contact Corps program.

"This is simply a programme present connected the crushed astatine Fresno VA wherever they tin get connected," Dr. Ray said. "We asked that they get a referral done their superior attraction doc oregon different wellness attraction provider, and they tin person a telephone telephone from a volunteer."

There is simply a almighty connection that Johns wants others to know.

"There is assistance -- don't beryllium acrophobic to inquire for it," helium said.

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This communicative is portion of the "Our America: Mental State - The Loneliness Epidemic" series. The collaboration betwixt ABC News and the ABC Owned Television Stations aims to stock reporting connected however to physique societal connections, with absorption connected stories astir kids, caregivers, the workplace, the election, the holidays, and anyone looking to larn however to instrumentality attraction of themselves and others.

Click here for each the stories and videos successful our series, "Our America: Mental State - The Loneliness Epidemic.