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Dale Williams
Dale Williams RN, BSN, CHPCA, is an executive director with Hospice Care of Kansas. He has 11 years of experience in the hospice field and is involved in the Hospice/Veterans Partnership.
Hospice
2011-05-01 13:04:00
Dignity for veterans at end of life
Answer: Hospice care is a covered service for all enrolled veterans of any age, authorized in the VA’s Medical Benefits Package, on an equal priority with any other medical services. VA Medical Centers must provide, or purchase hospice care from a community hospice, when the VA determines that an enrolled veteran needs it. An estimated 1,600 veterans die every day in this country, most of them members of the Greatest Generation who won World War II. Veteran deaths make up 25% of all U.S. deaths. The median age of today’s 26 million living veterans is 58.9 years. It is estimated that the veteran population in Crawford County is 3,144. For some veterans, the effect of combat experience may remain buried for years, emerging only when the veteran is very sick and dying. Doug Weadick, chaplain for the hospice unit at the Orlando, Florida VA Health Center says, “When you are dying, you look back on significant events. Combat is a form of intimacy – very traumatic, life changing. It defined who they were and became. What I see is that they want to process these events at the end of their lives.” The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospice units have learned a critical lesson in caring for dying veterans: a patient’s military service history is highly relevant to providing the most appropriate, personalized end-of-life care. Recognizing the unique needs of our nation’s veterans who are facing a life-limiting illness is important in guiding veterans and their families toward a more peaceful ending. According to Don Schumacher, CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), all hospices are serving veterans but often aren’t aware of that person’s service in the armed forces. With support from VA headquarters, NHPCO and other end-of-life advocates, Hospice-Veteran partnerships are now forming at state and regional levels to honor veterans’ preferences for care at end of life. This We Honor Veterans campaign is a giant step in helping hospice providers understand and serve veterans and work more effectively with VA medical facilities. VA’s and hospices share a common goal of providing the best care specifically tailored for veterans. “America’s veterans have done everything asked of them in their mission to serve our country,” said Don Schumacher of NHCPO. “Now it is time that we step up ....and fulfill our mission to serve these men and women with the dignity they deserve.” Volunteers are an essential part of all hospice care – in fact, Medicare requires that volunteers provide 5% of all patient care hours. Terminally ill veterans will talk with another veteran more easily than to a non-veteran. As hospices increase their efforts to respond to veterans, the demand for volunteers will grow. Volunteering may be a way that current veterans can lend support to those who are nearing the end of life’s journey. Not all hospices are the same. Knowing that your hospice team is trained in specific issues surrounding your service to your country is a valuable piece of this difficult decision.
 
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