Heartfelt Community Service Award Update
Posted:Tuesday, July 28, 2026
In 2025, the Massage Therapy Foundation awarded a $5,000 Community Service Award to Heartfelt Community of Gloucester, VA, for their project entitled “Compassionate Touch for Veterans with Dementia.” The grant, sponsored by a gift from Biotone, provides compassionate touch to veterans with dementia at Walter Reed Nursing Home. The project is over halfway completed, and has already made a huge impact on the lives of the veterans it serves.
Heartfelt Community serves elder adults who are aging alone, financially burdened, and/or at end-of-life, including veterans, through healing touch, caregiver education, and connection. Veterans experience an increased risk of dementia1, and touch has been shown to reduce agitation, anxiety, and stress. The objective of the project is to provide Compassionate Touch to veterans diagnosed with dementia, in an effort to decrease expressive behaviors and increase feelings of safety.
The grant project consists of two Licensed Massage Therapists providing therapeutic massage to 14 veterans diagnosed with dementia approximately 2 times per month for a 6-month period. The program also includes a 2-hour Compassionate Touch workshop to train up to 10 staff and caregivers, increasing the reach and sustainability of the care.
The LMTs and other staff working on the project report that the massage sessions have provided a vital opportunity to build relationships and trust with the veterans they serve:
“When I first started, I could not get SJ to want any type of massage for more than a minute at a time. Over time and using adaptive tools, he has been able to get a 20 minute session! We started connecting more, and he now lights up when he sees me,” said Braea, a project LMT.
“Mr. J did not feel safe with me the first visit and insisted that Edie, the activities assistant, stay with us the entire session. He was adamant that she stay as he trusted her: he spoke what so many can’t! I have seen him for 5 months now, and while he doesn’t always remember my name, he knows that I come to make him feel better, and he trusts me. He is a delight. When I first told him I was there to honor him for his service and to make his muscles feel better he almost cried and said this was a blessing sent from God,” wrote Ginger Spencer, LMT, Heartfelt Community Executive Director.
“Mr. D is another client who was resistant to touch, but our consistent return visits resulted in the ability to offer longer durations of massage each session. Initially, after a few minutes of massage to the hands Mr. D would say, ‘well, that’s about enough of that,’ and would scurry off. Last visit I was able to provide massage up to 20 minutes to his hands and back.”
Heartfelt Community is a 501c3 non-profit established 2022, and their Warrior Connections program serving veterans with dementia will continue beyond the scope of the MTF Community Service Award. Learn more at https://heartfeltcommunity.org/
- Raza, Z., Hussain, S.F., Ftouni, S. et al.Dementia in military and veteran populations: a review of risk factors—traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, deployment, and sleep. Military Med Res8, 55 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-021-00346-z