Muskego Brain Rehab Facility Gets National Attention

was recently toured by a military family who has been instrumental in testifying at U.S. Senate Committee of Veteran's Affairs in Washington D.C., in defense of veterans with brain injuries due to their son's own brain injury that he sustained while in the Iraq War. 

Justin Bunce, a purple heart Lance Marine Corporal, sustained a severe brain injury from an IED during his second combat deployment in the Iraq War in 2004.  Bunce lost his right eye in the blast and shrapnel entered his skull just above that eye and passed through the front of his brain, penetrating the frontal lobe.

The effects of this brain injury and his deficits are much like current resident Winlom Woods, which Acres has helped since 2006.  He was shot in the head in the Iraq War.  Bunce toured Acres of Hope and Aspirations with his father,  Colonel Peter Bunce (Air Force, retired) who has testified in front of U.S. Senate Committee of Veteran's Affairs to change brain injury programs within the VA, and his wife Patti. Patti was an occupational therapist in school systems and previously worked with Muskego School Superintendent Dr. Joe Schroeder at another school district. Schroeder recommended they tour the place.

"The Creatures of Rehab and Gardens of Hope that Acres uses in rehabilitation has been been instrumental in improvement with cognitive and memory skills, organizational and attention skills and vocational potential," said Lisa Alberte, who owns the home-turned-care-facility. "Duplication of similar concepts and intervention with animal therapy for wounded soldiers with brain injuries may improve and maximize vocational potential and lead to eventual return to work for disabled and wounded veterans."

Bunce's testimony represented flaws in the VA system for veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is being called the 'signature injury' for Iraq vets. He told the Senate committe, "case management has been the sole responsibility of my family. We have had to navigate ourselves through the stove-piped departmental nature of care at the VA. We have been the ones, not VA personnel, to make trips to other VA hospitals in Tampa and Milwaukee to bring back best practices for TBI therapeutic care to our local VA hospital that is ironically located in the heart of our nation's capitol just a few miles from the Veterans' Administration headquarters."

Alberte said she was encouraged that Bunce came to visit the facility, which rests on five acres near Durham Drive and Woods Road, and that her experience as a certified case manager treating TBI patients could serve as a solution for families.  In addition, she hoped the VA's recognition of the need for more facilities like Acres of Hope would allow for her to consult with the organization to ensure a better continuum of care for these vets.

"The biggest challenge we face is how to get these guys back to independent lifestyles, and to help navigate them through much of bureaucracy that exists," Alberte explained. "The taxpayers are paying a whole lot of money to pay for their treatment, and it could really be done so much more efficiently if there was a thorough component that could serve as their advocates like we do here."

Alberte said she has never been asked to testify before a senate committee, but would be thrilled to do so. She said the VA's desire to listen to options to identify and treat veterans with TBI was a huge step forward.

Acres of Hope and Aspirations may be furthered consulted for possible assistance and further development of improvement in brain injury rehab programs offered to wounded warriors, especially those including animals.