Many veterans entering higher education institutions are struggling with integrating into the university culture. Many report feelings of alienation, challenges with access, matriculation, experiencing financial need, and difficulty with degree completion. This profile describes the road map that led to the development of a strength-based program to capitalize on veterans' assets during the reintegration to higher education process at a smaller higher education institution. The program described here is the result of five years of observation and research findings on student veteran reintegration and higher education at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). The result is a cost-effective course that integrates classroom instruction and community based, service-learning components to address student veterans' needs and assist them as they transition to higher education. The challenges involved in implementing such an initiative are discussed.

An emerging crisis of care exists in the United States in the treatment of aging adults with neurocognitive disorders (NCD). Families face great obstacles locating resources and finding appropriate caregiving options for their needs. Occupational therapy practitioners are well suited to assist both persons with NCD and their care partners through training and support services to promote safety and independence and maximize participation in activities of daily living. Occupational therapy practitioners increasingly employ Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) programs with tailored activities to foster problem-solving skills to enhance performance and behavior, improving quality of life. This feasibility study employed mixed-methodology to establish a proof of concept by offering a series of six 90-minute AAT group intervention sessions with persons with NCD and care partners at an Alzheimer’s Resource Center in Florida. While quantitative results were not significant, many promising qualitative themes emerged to direct future inquiry in AAT interventions with this population.