The experiences of place: Veterans with dementia making meaning of their environments
Little research has examined how older veterans view the long-term care facility as place and how they make meaning of their experiences within specific places. This study examined seven older veterans’ meanings of place within the cognitive support unit of a veteran's hospital and in a summer camp setting. In the facility, the environment was interpreted as restrictive. At camp, the environment was interpreted as freeing. Each of the environments was experienced within the horizons of meaning of residents’ lives [Gubrium, J.F., 1993. Speaking of Life: Horizons of Meaning for Nursing Home Residents. Aldine de Gruyter, Hawthorne, NY.]. What was evident here was that the experiences in both places, both in the moment and through horizons of meaning, contributed to how residents created a sense of place in these two distinct environments.
Abstract: Objective: The present study is a retrospective quasi-experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Warrior PATHH (WP) program at improving posttraumatic growth (PTG) outcomes and reducing PTSD symptoms compared to a waitlist control among a sample of Veterans. Method: Participants (n = 164) were U.S. military Veterans with a history of trauma. Participants were either undergoing the Warrior PATHH program or a waitlist. Primary outcome measures were administered at baseline and at 90-day follow-up and consisted of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory – Expanded (PTGI-X) and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Secondary outcome measures assessed psychosocial functioning and included measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, sleep, wellbeing, and social support. Results: Significant differences were observed between groups on the PTGI-X (F(1, 205) = 23.667, p < .001, partial η2 = 0.103), and the PCL-5 (F(1, 205) = 262.460, p < .001, partial η2 = 0.561) with the WP group showing significant positive psychological change following a traumatic event as measured by the PTGI-X and decreased PTSD symptoms as measured by the PCL-5 compared to those in the waitlist condition. Those in the treatment arm also demonstrated gains to psychosocial functioning. Conclusions: Consistent with previous research, participants in the Warrior PATHH program exhibited significant increases in PTG outcomes, decreased PTSD symptoms, and broad improvements to psychosocial functioning. These findings suggest it is an effective training program to foster PTG outcomes among Veterans. This study is unique as it is the first to compare the effects of WP programming with a sample of waitlisted Veterans.