Army Vet Takes It All in STRIDE
Army Veteran Ed Vitell has been seeking his routine medical care through the Rockford VA clinic until a few years ago when a series of health issues resulted in several hospitalizations.
During his most recent inpatient stay at the Madison VA Hospital, he and his wife Gail were surprised when one of the VA staff members showed up at his room and offered to take him on a walk around the facility. The STRIDE program is an evidence based supervised walking program designed to lessen functional decline in Veterans before and after their inpatient stay. The way they accomplish that is through walking.
“I had no idea this program existed," Vitell said. "I thought PT would just walk me to the end of the hall and back. But we started walking and talking. We listened to music, and I had a great old time.”
The STRIDE program started in Raleigh Durham and an evaluation of the program demonstrated that Veterans who participated in the structured walks were more likely to be discharged home rather than a skilled nursing or rehabilitation facility. However, Veterans like Vitell see it as motivation to move on their own as well.
“After walking with her, I asked the nurses if I could walk outside the unit. Now I go everywhere and just leave a note. It’s been great for me.”
Char James, Madison VA’s STRIDE coordinator says the program is very popular among Veterans.
“I notice that I get a lot of Veterans who are appreciative and look forward to walking with me. They enjoy listening to music, but they also just like to chat and share stories about their lives.”
The Madison VA is proud of the STRIDE program, and Char, for improving the lives of Veterans like Vitell.
“It got me all excited," Vitell said. "I look forward to it every day. I missed her over the weekend though. But I realize she needs some time off too.”
For more information about the Madison VA Hospital, visit www.madison.va.gov, www.facebook.com/MadisonVAHospital and subscribe to our newsletters.