correct device. Also, new computers were added to a computer training lab so there are now Chrome, HP for windows, and iMac computers, as well as MacBook and Chromebooks. We sincerely hope that this helps our Veterans understand the best technology to meet their individual goals. Adding these allows us to have all the platforms available for assessing and beginning instruction immediately. CAT Specialists also participated in weekly “summer school” classes with Tim Sniffen on computers for a couple months before he retired. This was an important process for building our CAT Specialists’ knowledge and ensuring that they stayed current on devices. All Blind Rehabilitation Specialists took weekly iPhone classes from Robin Sniffen at the same time. This is part of our push to integrate the iPhone and iPad further into other skills areas. Tim Sniffen retired, and Robin Sniffen was promoted to be one of the VIST Coordinators for our Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System. Tiffany Moore, from our Living Skills Department, moved into the CAT Department after training with Tim. We welcome her to her new position. Living Skills Department Just like the CAT Department, the Living Skills Department got an overhaul in their computers as well for Keyboarding Classes. Their keyboarding computers were cleaned up and JAWS, Zoomtext and Guide software was added to each of them so now the computers are identical. This allows for the availability of multiple computers to be used at any one time. Living Skills also received all new pots and pans for the kitchens. The Veterans cooked up a wonderful fish fry this year as well as used their skills preparing food for Community Based Instruction Days, the Veteran Thanksgiving Feast, and Holiday cook-outs. A bulletin board with large visuals was created in the
graduates. The reigns of the program have been turned over from David Burke to Molly Mather. The Trekker Breeze was discontinued; GPS training was via iPhone. The new Trekker comes out soon and training will resume on that device once specialists are trained on the updates. New Ultracanes were received for training purposes. Veterans have a variety of options between the Ultracane, sonar guide, and mini guide. Interns also kept the department very busy. Six of them came through and successfully completed their internship. Three more started their internships which continued into FY18. Recreation Therapy A new recreation therapist started with the in early 2017. She has received extremely high approval ratings from our Veterans since the day she walked in our front door. They all rave about her energy, enthusiasm and ability to draw them into activities from games and activities here in the Center to going on community outings. Trainings Training this year took place in a variety of avenues. OrCam training was provided for approximately half of the specialists Five staff attended National Blind Rehabilitation Conference One specialist attended assistive technology conference All GCBRC Staff have attended “Own the Moment”—a VA developed program to promote the Veteran Experience All GCBRC staff completed VA101 training Two team building events held Three National Blind Rehabilitation sponsored trainings attended by all specialists via computer
When Veterans get ready to discharge from the GCBRC, they have an opportunity to evaluate the program and staff in two different ways. The first is through the uSPEQ anonymous survey that goes directly to CARF (our accrediting body). For FY17, the Veterans who filled out the survey gave us an over 97% satisfaction rating across the 32 questions. 100% of Veterans said they knew how to use their assistive technology when they left. 99.32% said that they would recommend the program to a friend. The second way a Veteran can evaluate the program is with an Exit Interview with the Chief or her designee. Veterans are asked to rate their classes on a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high). Across the board for the entire year, classes were rated between a 4 and 5. Veterans also had the chance to make specific comments on the program and staff. Staff was pretty resoundingly identified for their friendliness, patience, going the extra mile, knowledge, and ability to work together seamlessly. When asked about the program, Veterans were pleased by the individual attention they received, the wonderful nursing and ancillary staff (social work, psychology, etc.), the home environment of the GCBRC, the thoroughness of the training received, and more. They also identified areas for continued improvement such as our Wi-Fi system, new chairs for the bedrooms (which arrive this month), getting iPhones and computers faster (this has been resolved). We really appreciate every bit of feedback our Veterans share. Thank you. Data from the BR5.0 Database GENDER FREQUENCY % FEMALE 7 4.0% MALE 167 96.0% Grand Total 174 100.0% REFERRING FACILITY: BLX BRC FY17 DC's ALEXANDRIA VA MEDICAL CENTER 25
BILOXI VA MEDICAL CENTER 42 CENTRAL ARKANSAS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM - LITTLE ROCK 15 FAYETTEVILLE VA MEDICAL 10 G.V. MONTGOMERY 11 LAKE CITY VA MEDICAL CENTER 2 LUFKIN OUTPATIENT CLINIC 5 MALCOM RANDALL DEPT OF VAMC 2 MICHAEL E. DEBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER 4 MINNEAPOLIS VA HCS 1 NEW ORLEANS VAMC 8 OKLAHOMA CITY VA MEDICAL CENTER 1 OVERTON BROOKS VA MEDICAL CENTER 19 PENSACOLA VA CLINIC 30 WEST PALM BEACH VAMC 1 Grand Total 176 RACE / ETHNICITY FREQUENCY % AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE 1 0.6% 1 0.6% BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 61 35.1% DATA NOT AVAILABLE 4 2.3% DECLINED TO ANSWER 4 2.3% NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER 1 0.6% UNKNOWN BY PATIENT 5 2.9% WHITE 96 55.2% WHITE NOT OF HISP ORIG 1 0.6% Total 174 100.0% FY17 AVG WAIT TIMES BY PROGRAM BILOXI BRC FY17 LOS (DAYS) BY PROGRAM TYPE With the new specialists, we are bringing on especially in the CAT Department (we will have 5 specialists plus a designated
hope to bring to the Manual Skills program a few new project choices, birding interest, and gardening adventures. All you birders and gardeners out there, plan on spending some time in the courtyard during your next GCBRC program. For those of you who are local, consider being a GCBRC garden volunteer. Contact Sharon at volunteer services at extension 35786 for more information. I want to say you to all the Veterans who donated items and helped plant the fall/winter garden. So far, Veterans have planted onions, kale, turnips, snapdragons, ornamental cabbage, pansies and various other plants. The GCBRC bird feeding stations have brought in a nice variety of birds in the past few weeks. A few of our feathered visitors include Carolina Wrens, Blue Jays, House Sparrows, Cardinals (my favorite) and Carolina Chickadees. For those interested in attracting birds to your own backyard try these basic tips. Provide a clean water source. Present an assortment of foods such as sunflower seeds, thistle, millet, and nuts, to bring in a variety of bird species. Use specific feeder styles to attract the species you are looking forward to seeing. For example, chickadees are generally attracted to hopper style feeders, while doves are drawn to tray or ground style feeders. Provide a healthy to eat by keeping feeders clean. Frequent cleaning helps to avoid contamination by fungus, bacteria and other harmful agents. Plant a variety of bird attracting plants to bring in backyard birds. For a list of bird attracting plants for your area visit and click on the
Helping Birds with Native Plants link. Enter your zip code into the database to generate a list of plants for your specific area. Birding is a great way to relax and enjoy nature. Many birders enjoy birding by sound identification. If you would like to learn more about birding by sound visit for a fun interactive way to learn bird identification through bird calls and songs. Until next time, -Belinda Software Updates Maighdlin Martinez, M.Ed.,COMS D. Jean COMS CATs Specialists Technology is ever evolving; one example of this evolution is the seemingly constant string of updates for the iPhone and the iPad. These updates are important to stay on top of as they often fix security features or bugs that have been detected. Additionally, many new and exciting features are often unrolled in these updates. As of this article being written, the most recent update is 11.1.2. If you do not feel comfortable doing the software update, you can always select the “not now” option on any alerts that might pop up and do the update when you have the assistance of a tech savvy family member or friend. Keep in mind, a software update will make your phone unusable for the duration of the installation time. Before you do a software update on your iPhone, we urge you to have your password and passcode handy. Some of you who are experienced with these updates might know that upon the completion of the update, your device appears to be beginning an initial set-up process. Depending on the update, following the installation
Nursing Corner: Preventing Pneumonia Brenda Arnold, Nurse Practitioner Let’s cut down on cases of the dreadful pneumonia It is recommended that individuals 65 and older get a pneumonia vaccination. Also, it is recommended for those who are 19-64 years of age with chronic illnesses to include heart disease, lung diseases (emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma), diabetes, chronic alcoholism, liver disease and cigarettes smokers. In addition, it is recommended that individuals with the following medical problems received a pneumonia vaccination: fluid (CSF) leaks* leukemia cochlear implants* sickle cell disease or other Hodgkin disease or acquired asplenia malignancy or acquired HIV infection solid organ transplant chronic renal failure multiple myeloma nephrotic syndrome Getting vaccinated decreases the impact of pneumococcal disease Annually, in the United States, pneumococcal disease leads to thousands of infections, including, pneumonia, meningitis, bloodstream infections and ear infections. Pneumococcal vaccines are effective at
History of VA Blind Rehabilitation Centers Robin Sniffen M.Ed., COMS, CATIS VIST Coordinator, Biloxi/Mobile On Jan. 8, 1944, President Roosevelt signed an order saying “no blinded servicemen from WWII would be returned to their homes without adequate training to meet the problems of necessity imposed upon them by their blindness.” Initially, Veterans were treated for their injuries and trained in Blind Rehabilitation by Army and Navy programs; but this training was eventually transferred to the VA. The beginning of true Blind Rehab services at the VA can be traced back to 100 blinded Veterans, most in their early 20s, who were recovering from their injuries at Avon Old Farms Convalescent Hospital near Avon, CT. These men founded the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) in 1945 and advocated for the establishment of a Blind Rehab Center. It is a direct result of BVA recommendations that in 1948 the first BRC was established in Hines, IL. Hines, and later other VA Blind Rehab Centers, have helped establish and expand training programs and curriculums that shape Blind Rehabilitation inside and outside of the VA, nationwide and worldwide. New technology is constantly being shaped by VA needs and demands as well as being tested and improved by the Veterans who participate in the Blind Rehab Programs. GPS, wearable accessibility devices, accessible computers, and mobile devices have all been influenced by the needs and feedback from the Veterans in these programs. In 1960, because of the demand for Blind Rehabilitation Specialists to staff the Hines BRC, VA began
Arkansas Veterans Health Care System 4300 West 7th St. Little Rock, AR Latrice Reaves 1-800-935-8387 ext. 7214 or 2671 Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System 1515 Poydras St., Suite 650 New Orleans, LA 70112 Scott Turner (850) 912-2552 ext. 32552 Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System Joint Ambulatory Care Center Pensacola, Florida Robin Sniffen (228)385-6762 Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System 400 Veterans Ave. (124) Biloxi, MS 39531 Marilyn Murray (318) 473-0010 ext. 1+2047 Alexandria VA Medical Center P. O. Box Alexandria, LA 71306 Melanie Shurden (601) 364-7937 G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VAMC 1500 E. Woodrow Wilson Dr. Jackson, MS 39216 Paula Ellington (479) 443-4301 ext. 65364 Fayetteville VAMC 1100 N. College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Broderick Burks (318) 990-4839 Overton Brooks VAMC 510 E. Stoner Ave. Shreveport, LA 71101