Photo By Lisa Braun | Army Staff Sgt. Brandi Seif, METC operations staff, attempts to perform an individual...... read more read more
Thirty volunteers assigned to the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC), Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute, Navy Medicine Training Support Command, 32d Medical Brigade, and the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, recently had the opportunity to personally experience the daily challenges that cognitively impaired people face by participating in an innovative, immersive dementia simulation presented by a team from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
Presented in partnership with the VHA SimLEARN Simulation Center, the Dementia Experience provides firsthand insight into the day-to-day sensory and cognitive challenges faced by individuals living with dementia and physical impairments through a carefully controlled environment. The experience supports staff in enhancing clinical care and improving outcomes by deepening their understanding of the physical and cognitive changes associated with the condition. Participants take part in a perception-altering simulation that mirrors the experience of someone with dementia.
“By simulating impairments such as confusion, difficulty walking, and altered sensory perception, participants gain a deeper understanding of how dementia impacts daily life and behaviors,” explained Traci Ashworth, MSN, RN, CHSE, Simulation Program Manager with the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System who was with the team that hosted the Dementia Experience on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas on July 23.
“Ultimately, the Dementia Experience fosters a shift from task-focused care to person-centered care, transforming how caregivers and providers engage with those living with dementia,” added Ashworth.
Air Force Col. Andria Sharp, METC’s Associate Dean for Academic Support, who coordinated the Dementia Experience event with the VA team, described how volunteers were equipped with devices that impaired balance, dexterity, hearing, and vision, and caused overall sensory degradation. Volunteers were then given three detailed, verbal tasks to complete. “The experience reminded us that patients with dementia have difficulty remembering multi-step instructions,” she edified. “They may also experience visual and auditory hallucinations and require additional assistance with tasks and instructions.”
METC’s participation in the Dementia Experience was part of a larger effort towards partnering with the Veterans Affairs National Intermediate Care Technician Program. An Intermediate Care Technician, or ICT, is a military-trained medic or corpsman who receives additional VA-specific training and then delivers healthcare services to veterans within the VA health care system. The ICT Program is a free training, upskilling, and hiring initiative for former active duty, and former and current National Guard and reserve component military medics.
As the Department of Defense’s premiere schoolhouse for enlisted medical training, METC trains Army combat medics, Navy hospital corpsmen, and Air Force medical technicians in addition to 46 other allied health career fields. According to Mr. Keith Hall, METC’s Chief of Strategic Planning and Partnerships, METC is partnering to support the ICT Program and its leaders with knowledge sharing and potentially more. Such a partnership will offer several benefits, including a better understanding among the VA ICT leadership of how METC trains its military medics; and through the Dementia Experience, enabling military medics to better care for aging veterans. Military medics who become ICTs will participate in the Dementia Experience as part of their training with the VA.
“Not only does this partnership enable broader marketing and awareness of the VA ICT Program, but more National Guard and reserve component medics, who make up about one-third of METC graduates, will be able to secure relevant employment as VA ICTs with great benefits following graduation from a METC medic courses or after transitioning from military service,” Hall stated. “A larger percentage of National Guard and reserve component medics will have a higher level of medical proficiency when called upon.”
As part of the ICT Program, the Dementia Experience helps METC faculty, staff, and other military partners better understand the patient populations ICTs may encounter. This insight strengthens the collaboration and supports the partnership effort.
Army Maj. Carolina Wentworth, METC Army Dental Specialist Course Director, shared that it was eye opening to see the difficulty that dementia patients could have completing everyday tasks, even more so on a personal level.
“It opened my eyes to how isolating this disease can be and how difficult it is for them to communicate or express certain emotions when there is a constant sensory overload,” said Wentworth. “It taught me to be more patient and analyze the way we communicate with my family member that is affected by this disease.”
“The Dementia Experience leaves a lasting impression, fostering empathy and a profound awareness of the daily realities faced by patients with dementia,” Ashworth said. “This perspective will shape how participants continue to provide or adapt their approach to compassionate, patient-centered care.”
To Lean More:
ICT Program Diffusion Marketplace: https://marketplace.va.gov/innovations/intermediate-care-technician
VA Careers Transitioning Military Hub:
https://vacareers.va.gov/career-guidance/veterans-and-transitioning-military/
VA News Intermediate Care Technicians: https://news.va.gov/?s=Intermediate+Care+Technician
VA News Dementia Experience:
https://news.va.gov/106183/providers-gain-insight-dementia-experience/
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.04.2025 10:31 |
| Story ID: | 544680 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 106 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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