Orillia, Ontario
Recently, research in Canada has shown that the elderly population in Canada is growing increasingly lonely and isolated—this includes the Veteran population. This became apparent to Ms. Reta Mulholland Keeler (daughter of Second World War Veteran the late James T. Mulholland), when she became her father’s caregiver. Since her father’s passing, Ms. Mulholland Keeler has worked tirelessly to address these issues in Orillia.
During her father’s illness, Ms. Mulholland Keeler began visiting Veterans at Soldier’s Memorial Hospital in Orillia. She quickly discovered that there was no system in place to identify Veterans upon admission. Since that time, Ms. Mulholland Keeler has volunteered countless hours working with the hospital’s administration to make this change. Thanks to her efforts, the hospital’s new medical record system will include a Veteran identifier.
Ms. Mulholland Keeler also worked closely with the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada Unit 400 to set up a Volunteer Veteran Visitors Program. This program has volunteers who visit Canadian Veterans in the local hospital, nursing and retirement homes and private homes. The creation of this program was no small feat, with many hours of meetings and phone calls dedicated to its development. Since the program began in 2014, more than 3,600 Veteran visits have taken place.