Veterans Health Project
by: Hera Ashraf, Nikole Baker, Nicolette Bestul, Ranjit Bhangu, Rebecca Cooper, David Getman, Joel Hagstrom, Ana Kanakaris & Harleen Marwah Introduction
Recommendations
Our VHP Learning Community is a diverse group of Public Health, Physician Assistant and Medical Students at The George Washington University, who have served the DC Veteran community since September 2017.
5 key recommendations for future students:
Our team has two projects: ● Visiting with veterans in the Community Living Center (CLC) at the DC Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center ● Working with the Veterans History Project, an initiative started by the Library of Congress to preserve first-hand accounts of veterans experiences with the military.
ISCOPES VHP Team in the dining room at the CLC prepping memory jars for the Veterans. We made different sized jars, with different themes (including America-themed) to appeal to all different tastes and visual acuities.
We used storytelling as a tool to build relationships, encourage memory-care and improve the well being of these veterans.
We visited the Veterans living at the CLC every other week. Our main goals for the veterans during these visits were: (1) Build and strengthen social relationships and (2) Improve memory care. We achieved these goals through our CLC visits and formal and informal interviews for the Veterans History Project. Winter visit card station- Vets could write cards to friends, family, or current soldiers!
Why should you care about veterans’ health? Veterans have served our country, but their health has been underserved. Some veterans often feel like they have been forgotten and we need to show them that we care!
Preparing fresh fruits and veggies for the Veterans. These were hot commodities at the CLC!
Interviews: The Veterans History Project collects, preserves, and creates accessible personal accounts of American war veterans so future generations can hear directly from veterans about the reality of war. We had the opportunity to formally interview veterans for their experiences adjusting to and out of war. We also informally used the same interview techniques in our conversations with veterans at the CLC to encourage storytelling, exercise their memory and learn more about their lived experiences.
● Veterans are at higher risk of health issues related to malnutrition. At the CLC, many veterans didn’t have access to healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables. ● Veterans are more prone to suffer from PTSD from their experiences serving. Many veterans at the CLC don’t get the chance to share their stories with others. ● Veterans in long term living are more likely to feel socially isolated which can lead to mental and physical health issues. Many of the veterans at the CLC suffered from dementia and just wanted someone to talk to.
CLC Visits: We always planned these visits to include several components; puzzles, food and conversation! We worked with our community partners to create calendars and memory jars for the vets. We always had fresh fruit and veggies available. Most importantly, we used informal interviewing techniques to build relationships with the vets, including visiting the rooms of veterans who had limited mobility. ● Calendars: We interviewed individual Veterans about their individual preferences of activities they like attending to ensure no medical visits are scheduled during that time ● Memory Jars: We filled jars with different colorful objects and used them as a tool to improve visual and mental acuity ● Dance Parties: Often there was music playing in the main area so we would dance with the Veterans
1. Don’t make assumptions! Ask question about the processes in place, especially with the VA leadership. Change is always possible! 2. Communication is key. Always check-in with your fellow teammates, coaches, community partners and the clients you are serving to make sure you are all operating on the same wavelength. 3. Record your thoughts after every meeting and CLC visit to ensure you have data to look back on to keep improving your visits. 4. Connect with your team! If you know the members of your team socially and professionally you will function more efficiently as a team. 5. Your own mental wellbeing is important. If you need to step back, take a moment (or two!) to breathe and process. Just make sure to communicate this with your team.
What We Learned I.
Many of the veterans reiterated the importance of appreciating life and living our life to its fullest potential. It can be difficult to remember this when we jump from project to project and don’t stop to appreciate what’s around us, the silence and small moments.
I.
Engaging in interprofessional teams gave us the opportunity and experience to learn from people with different backgrounds and skillsets. Learning to work with people with different viewpoints is an important skill that we will all take with us to future relationships and careers.
II.
What we have learned and gained through our experience in ISCOPES will help us as as future health professionals effectively interact and work with different communities.
Thank You! We’d like to express our gratitude to our team advocate, Victoria Trapani, and our team coach, Rachel Glassford, for keeping us on track on a weekly basis. We’d also like to thank Angie Hinzey and the ILT ISCOPES staff for their support this year. Thanks to our community partners, Kathy Bixby, Niketia Davis, Greg Elfstrom, Nicolette Rubin and everyone at the VA, especially the Veterans, who shared their stories and space with us! We would also like to acknowledge our respective programs through GW for making it possible for your team to work together during class time and for providing your team with resources.
“Can I have a copy of this tape when we’re done? I want to send it to my mom.” - John B. 3 Bronze Stars, 1 Purple Heart, Vietnam War Joel, Harleen and a a 104 yr- old WW2 Veteran prepare for an ice cream social!
The veterans we interviewed appreciated the opportunity to share their stories. For example, John B. was appreciative of the opportunity to tell his story and wanted to share it with his mother so she would to be proud of him and his war experience. We were happy to help John B. and other veterans feel empowered to share their stories.
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Nikole and Annie discussing the news (aka reading comics!)
VHP debriefing with Kathy after a successful visit!
We wore red vests at the VA to signify we are there as volunteers who WANT to be there!