Remembering Our Veterans: A "Living History" Video Memoir Program
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Share PrintRemembering Our Veterans is a novel "living history" video memoir program in which VA staff and volunteers, using a list of comprehensive interview questions, engage inpatient, outpatient, and nursing home Veterans in meaningful conversations about their military service and other significant life experiences on camera, resulting in HD video recordings. These recordings are shared with family members and loved ones and can also be used for mass public viewing, VA memorialization efforts, including the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Memorial, and research, academic, and public education efforts, including the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project. Clinical applications of the program can include it being utilized as a form of reminiscence therapy for veterans with dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease, and as an avenue to help make VA patient experiences even better by extending an engaging program to them.
Origin:
January 2022, Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center (Aurora Rocky Mountain)
Adoptions:
4 successful
Awards and Recognition:
2024 VA CDCE American Spirit Innovation Award
Partners:
Care Management and Social Work Services, Geriatrics and Extended Care, Recreation and Creative Arts Therapy, VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement, Veterans Experience Office
Recent Updates
Overview
The problem
In addition, VA patient experiences can continue to be even better by (1) find ... The VA, with its national reach, is currently missing a centralized way to digitally record Veterans’ histories, not only for Veterans and their loved ones, but also for academic, historical, public engagement, and VA memorialization purposes. We strive to fill this major gap.
In addition, VA patient experiences can continue to be even better by (1) finding more ways to actively engage inpatients and nursing home Veterans, helping alleviate the monotony of extended stays, and by (2) extending a valuable opportunity to record precious memories to Veterans diagnosed with dementia. See more
The solution
The results
ECHCS’s CDCE office saw an increase in youth volunteers and an eagerness to participate among current volunteers. 15 volunteers (ages 20-78), including 7 young adult students (ages 20-26) in undergraduate, graduate, and medical school, have been fully trained. ECHCS’s CDCE office has been able to recruit 9 new VA volunteers so far because of this program. Additionally, the program is being used in healthcare education by collaborating with ECHCS’s VA Post-Baccalaureate Registered Nurse Residency Program, where RN residents will engage in interviews to learn more about the Veteran population and how to build rapport and a one-on-one connection with a Veteran.
Every interview is unique and is often an empowering experience for the Veteran. Through it, we interviewed Martha Baker, a 96-year-old Army nurse who joined the service just 3 years after President Truman desegregated the military; Vicki Herrell, a 101-year-old WWII Veteran who was inspired to join the service after meeting Amelia Earhart; Clyde Antrim, a Korean War Veteran and former POW; Ray Rodriguez, a Gunnery Sergeant and Beirut bombing survivor who discussed the importance of treating gay soldiers like himself with respect.
Concerning VSOs/partner organizations and CDCE staff, this program will hopefully demonstrate a successful collaboration between ECHCS and a major, national VSO in developing a new volunteer initiative that helps Veterans and their families and increases public awareness of military history. In addition, we show how this program can promote greater engagement between the CDCE and clinical departments and can successfully increase civic participation at the VA among younger generations by recruiting college and health professions students as volunteers for this initiative. See more
Metrics
- Since the program’s inception, it has completed over 80 video interviews, conducting an average of 2-3 interviews a week, and feedback shows that Veterans and family members have over a 98% satisfaction rate with the program and consider it a valuable and worthwhile experience for Veterans visiting the VA. The program’s pilot YouTube channel, featuring Veteran interviews, has over 100,000 cumulative views, with several interviews receiving thousands to tens of thousands of views from the general public, and 15,000 total watch time hours. Two participating Veterans who have since passed away have had their interviews posted on their respective VLM pages and 34 interviews have been submitted to the Library of Congress. Because of the program, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System’s CDCE office recruited 12 new VA volunteers, including 9 young-adult students (ages 20-26) in undergraduate, graduate, and medical school, who have volunteered hundreds of hours to the program and the VA.
Diffusion tracker
Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)
Implementation
Departments
- Voluntary Services
- Social work
- Geriatrics
- Psychology
- Recreation and creative arts therapy
Core Resources
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Contact
Comment
Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.
Email rov.echcs@va.gov with questions about this innovation.
About
Origin story
Original team
Anit Tyagi
Research Assistant
Eva Gergely
ECHCS CDCE Chief
Cari Levy, M.D., Ph.D
Physician
Jack Fletcher
Program Specialist
Jill Schinski
Voluntary Specialist
Tammy Wood
Voluntary Specialist
Shelley Preston
Voluntary Specialist
Selene Valdez
Social Worker
Stephen Bundy
Peer Specialist
Hannah Schara, M.D.
Physician
Nickolas Sanchez
Public Affairs Specialist
Geraldine Synnott
Nurse Practitioner
Gregory Schumacher
Biomedical Engineer
This is an amazing way to celebrate and honor Veterans and their stories.