From Healthy Cooking to Tai Chi: Veterans Learn New Skills in Online and In-Person Classes
Want to learn tai chi? Interested in cooking healthier meals? Trying to quit smoking? We have a class for that!
As part of VA’s Whole Health approach to care, qualified instructors are teaching Veterans new skills and helping them manage their health issues in a variety of creative ways, both virtually and in-person.
“We empower and equip Veterans to take charge of their health and wellbeing,” said Jennifer Allen, VA Greater Los Angeles (GLA) Whole Health Program manager and nurse practitioner. “We’re trying to provide them with the tools for self-care.”
Virtual classes – held through VA Video Connect or over the phone – allow for far greater accessibility for Veterans who may not be able to physically attend. There are also several classes geared specifically towards individuals with disabilities including Chair Yoga and Tai Chi for Visually Impaired Veterans.
The Whole Health Approach
VA’s Whole Health initiative prioritizes a Veteran’s wellbeing by focusing on what matters most to them. Personal health plans are developed based on a patient’s values, needs, and goals versus more generic clinical measures.
Whole Health programs are structured according to the Circle of Health – a diagram that focuses on “me” at the center surrounded by key areas of self-care: moving the body; surroundings; personal development; food & drink; recharge; family, friends & co-workers; spirit & soul; and power of the mind.
The GLA class calendar (available online) is a collaboration between Whole Health, Integrative Medicine, Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program (HPDP) and Mental Health.
Classes are led by different experts, including Whole Health coaches, social workers, and preventative medicine doctors.
At the Healthy Teaching Kitchen class (held Fridays at 11 a.m. outside Building 220 at the West LA VA), Veterans learn how to prepare meals rich in nutrients such as a recent fig, goat cheese and arugula flatbread.
Managing Pain with Acupuncture
Another 11 a.m. Friday session, the Walk-in Battlefield Acupuncture Clinic for Pain (held in Building 220 at the West LA VA) is well-attended by many Veterans including a 100-year-old World War II Veteran.
During treatment time the room is quiet and serene, with recliners and tables draped in white sheets where Veterans can lay back as trained practitioners puncture their ears with tiny needles. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medicine practice that uses thin needles to stimulate certain points on the body to activate energy flow, thereby treating different conditions.
Army Veteran Harris Johnson says acupuncture helps with the pain he experiences after three combat tours. He’s been participating in the program for three years. “Acupuncture works,” Johnson said. “I thank heaven for this clinic.”
Healing Touch, which involves utilizing the hands to balance the body’s energy, can also be performed on Veterans during the sessions.
Another of the most popular classes on the calendar is Whole Health to Manage Anger at the Sepulveda VA Ambulatory Care Center, run by Tim Penix, health coach and retired Army captain. “This group has formed a community and they’ve been going to this class together for a really long time,” Allen said.
“A lot of our Veterans have been very isolated during the last few years,” Allen said. “What holds it all together is community; it’s lovely to see that come back again [following the pandemic].”
Chill Out with Tai Chi
Another popular class, Tai Chi, is held Mondays at 8:30 a.m., Tuesdays at 11 a.m., Thursdays at 8:30 a.m., and Fridays at 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (reserved for women Veterans) and 1 p.m. (reserved for vision-impaired Veterans). Classes are held in person and/or over VA Video Connect.
On a recent Tuesday morning video class, instructor and Whole Health Coach Terrence Brotherton led Veteran participants through a soothing, meditative experience.
Calming music helped set the tone for the slow, deliberate movements of tai chi. Brotherton’s easy-to-follow instructions were suitable for beginners or more advanced practitioners.
“Anytime a problem comes along, if we can stay relaxed and calm we can make better decisions,” he told class members. He added that they should visualize themselves as completely healed.
Brotherton has been practicing tai chi for over 20 years. “I’ve got the luckiest job in the world,” Brotherton said. “I love what I do and I love to be able to share it.”
The option to attend classes over the phone or via VA Video Connect expands Whole Health’s reach, allowing instructors to access more Veterans in need.
Working Together
For the Veteran’s Garden on West LA VA’s campus, Whole Health collaborates with Recreation Therapy, a discipline which focuses on enhancing a Veteran’s quality of life, optimal functionality, and independence daily by utilizing an array of prescribed experiential therapies including Aquatic Therapy, Animal Assisted Therapies, Adapted Sports and more.
At the garden, Veterans work to cultivate a variety of different plants in 20 raised beds.
“We incorporate produce grown in the Veteran’s Garden into Recreation Therapy and Whole Health programs,” Recreation Therapist Brenna Partridge, who helps lead the garden project along with Allen, said. Vegetables from the garden have been utilized in Healthy Teaching Kitchen, for example.
New Whole Health classes are being added all the time, including a “Gardening for Whole Health” class.
“It takes a village really is the message,” Allen said. “We’ve all got to be collaborating to realize what Whole Health can be.”
Veterans can view the schedule and sign-up information for Whole Health classes here.