During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Veterans living in the Kerrville VA community living center were required to shelter in place, isolate, and quarantine, much like the rest of the world during the Spring of 2020. Although the Veterans were potentially safe, they were experiencing increased loneliness and feelings of isolation; in turn, their quality of life suffered. In the Ibrahim & Dahlan (2015) article, the authors underscore the importance of engagement in occupations to improve quality of life, as occupational engagement facilitates life’s purpose. Healing Heroes Virtually aims to improve quality of life, provide opportunities for occupational engagement, learning a new skill to bridge the digital divide gap among the older adult population living in long-term care facilities.
The Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) will direct this program improvement project within long-term care facilities. This theory introduces innovation to potential adopters (Veterans & staff at the Kerrville VA) and disseminates it into social systems. Timing is also essential when utilizing the DOI theory to move the program. The authors (Abbott-Gaffney et al., 2022) found that “organizations can remove barriers by providing multiple learning opportunities and support to reinforce the learner’s confidence, therefore increasing the likelihood of continued use of telehealth as a service delivery model.”
Adult Learning Theory will also be utilized considering the various learning styles adult learners receive/learn information. It is essential for the Veteran to feel comfortable and confident in the newfound skill.
The program should run for ten weeks, two times a week, to educate and introduce the iPad, Zoom application, and program to the Veterans. Between weeks four and seven, the goal will be troubleshooting and increasing independence with technology use. During weeks eight through ten, programs such as an exercise session, current events hour, or a virtual Bible study will occur.
The Veterans will be given surveys, and staff will evaluate the program’s success for future use. The goal is to create a library of various activities/sessions available to Veterans. Healing Heroes was made with the idea that if the world shuts down again, these Heroes will have the opportunity for occupational engagement and not have to endure occupational deprivation and alienation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/46184 |
| Date | 08 May 2023 |
| Creators | Samardak, Renee Gonzalez |
| Contributors | Abbott-Gaffney, Cynthia |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ |
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