The fifth episode of the VHA Innovation Ecosystem podcast, VHA:IE, focuses on how VA is helping Veterans reflect on and share their stories with their health providers, loved ones, and the community at large. On this episode, you will hear from the team behind a program that personalizes the healthcare experience by including a Veteran’s life story in their medical file, along with a project that aims to address how Veterans may confront death. You’ll also hear from a non-profit dance group that is helping restore Veterans' physical, mental, and emotional strength through workshops and public performances.
The first program, My Life, My Story, is building a network of employees and volunteers who sit down with Veterans and then craft written life stories for inclusion in Veterans’ medical records. This allows Veterans to feel seen and heard and enables doctors to better understand the lives of those they care for. The program originated at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, and is being spread across VA as it gains popularity with both Veterans and caregivers. Dr. Ryan Vega, Director of the Diffusion of Excellence Initiative, speaks with Thor Ringler about My Life, My Story, including the challenges with sustaining the program and his future vision for it.
Before I Die, the second program featured in the episode, is a worldwide community art project that is being implemented at the Tomah VA Medical Center. The facility will erect an eco-friendly recycled paper wall that will allow patients and visitors to write their answer to the question, “Before I die, I want to…” The project is meant to help patients and their loved ones begin an important discussion about death. John D’Adamo, Acting Director of the VHA Innovators Network, talks with Amanda Meinke about the wall’s ability to connect Veterans with their community and loved ones.
The final segment features an interview with Jacques Heim and Chris Loverro from the non-profit dance troupe DIAVOLO. Through the Veterans Project: A Long Journey Home, DIAVOLO helps Veterans reconnect with their bodies and mental and emotional strengths. John D’Adamo sits down to discuss the program with Heim, who is DIAVOLO’s founder and artistic director, and Loverro, who is a performer and Army Veteran.
Episode Resources:
US Department of Veteran Affairs
VHA Innovators Network
Diffusion of Excellence Initiative
Before I Die
DIAVOLO
My Life, My Story
Key Episode Quotes:
"We want you to talk about what's comfortable for you to share with your VA care team. We don't actually have a set of questions that we ask. We have topics that we cover." -- Thor Ringler, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital
"Some people look at death as a negative, and this way, people can write down their hopes and dreams and aspirations and build our relationship with death and one another by sharing these things." -- Amanda Meinke, Tomah VA Medical Center
"I really believe the more we can bring closer the Veterans and the civilians together, for the civilians to really understand who are the Veterans, what they are about, who are they – the better we can help the Veterans." -- Jacques Hines, DIAVOLO founder and artistic director
"Don't be intimidated by the dance component. It's not about learning to be a dancer, it's about coming together in a tribe and learning how to move and create." -- Chris Loverro, Army Veteran and DIAVOLO performer
