The effort that Veterans put in at the therapeutic rock climbing session sponsored by VA Central Iowa hospital is reflective of the journey many of them have taken over their military careers. Every month, Klay Queck, recreational therapist at Central Iowa VA, leads a group of Veterans of varying abilities to an indoor climbing venue…

Many Veterans are familiar with the patriotic songs that play around memorial holidays, but few songs represent the perspective of those who have served. Until now.  Veteran-led nonprofit, CreatiVets, offers programs that allow Veterans to address their service-related traumas through art and music. With the release of over 40 songs, CreatiVets now provides the public…

VA is considered the founder of the recreation therapy occupation in the federal system, as well as its foremost user and supporter. In fact, VA boasts the largest rehabilitation program under one administration in the western hemisphere, so there’s no question we’re the best place to practice the trade. “As a recreational therapist, my goal…

If you shared your calendar with a friend, what they find a slot or scheduled time for play? Or just appointments, jobs and chores? Other than special events, it seems, we rarely put fun activities on our calendars. We think of fun as optional. Something to do after our chores are done. The problem is…

The 2023 VHA Innovation Experience (iEX), hosted by VA’s Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL), brought nearly 700 VA employees, Veterans and industry professionals together to celebrate another year of transforming Veteran care. Keeping Veterans at the Center of Innovation Attendees, driven innovators and leaders started the three-day event with representatives from each of…

He was unemployed, debilitated by pain and nearly homeless. This is how Army Veteran Michael Jones described his life just a few years ago. Today he is an artist, a teacher, operations director and curator for the Marilyn Rose Center, an art gallery in Indianapolis. As an Army combat and helicopter flight medic, Jones saw…

Navy Veteran Bill Metzger shares his journey with multiple sclerosis. There are many wonderful things in this world, and I’ve spent much of my life trying to see them. I enlisted in the Navy my senior year of high school, starting my tour in September 1964. I wanted to experience more than my small town…

Several staff members of Battle Creek VA were honored at the 67th Military Appreciation luncheon hosted by the Battle Creek Chamber of Commerce Nov. 9. Employees from Medical, Eligibility/Enrollment and Veterans Transportation Service accepted the award before an audience of Veterans, service members and local dignitaries from communities across southwest Michigan. They were part of…

Ranger and Dare are in the therapy business. Like many of their peers, they spend their days working with kids, people with disabilities and Veterans… when not eating grass and alfalfa. Ranger and Dare are American miniature horses for a North Texas non-profit that brings equine therapy to those who cannot travel to their home…

Rural living offers numerous benefits for people who enjoy a slower pace and smaller communities. For some, it’s a chance to enjoy the great outdoors. For others, it’s an opportunity to return to a simpler way of life that they experienced in childhood—a way of life they want to share with their own children. Whatever…

In the past, as the holidays approached, I worried about gift buying, digging out decorations and wondering how I’d navigate the obligation of an entire month’s worth of social gatherings. This year though, I’m determined to do things differently. While many people are going to spend the next few weeks trying to live up to…

The “No Veteran Dies Alone” program’s aim is to ensure that Veterans are honored by a volunteer or staff member within 72 hours before their passing. It does this by meeting the unfulfilled needs of those Veterans who find themselves alone at the end of their life. “In the tender and vulnerable moments of life’s…