Quality End-of-Life Care for Veterans

– According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are an estimated 22 million veterans living in the United States. Studies show that military service profoundly impacts America’s veterans and their families, and the affects get compounded as they approach the end of life, creating unique clinical, emotional and spiritual needs. Accounting for one-fourth of all deaths in the country, veterans who have enrolled in Medi-Cal and are deemed hospice-appropriate can find relief and comfort with the services hospice provides.

Retired Petty Officer First Class John P. Ryan, 91, who served in World War II with the U.S. Navy, is one of many veterans who have made the thoughtful decision to go into hospice care.

A humble and humorous man, Petty Officer Ryan shared why he decided to join the Navy, “My four older brothers joined the army and always talked about the miles of marching they did—I joined the Navy to avoid the marching.”

Today, he enjoys telling old Navy stories to his hospice team at VITAS Healthcare, as well as family and friends who come to visit him at the assisted living facility which is now his home.

Recently, on his 91st birthday, Petty Officer Ryan was surprised by the VITAS staff with a pinning ceremony. Surrounded by his loved ones—including his wife, his two step-daughters and his granddaughter—Petty Officer Ryan was honored for his dedicated service in protecting our nation. Patients and staff sang “Anchors Aweigh,” a popular U.S. Navy song, as his granddaughter presented him with a lapel pin and a certificate of appreciation. Touched by the recognition, Petty Officer Ryan expressed his gratitude by thanking everyone, including the VITAS staff, for throwing him a memorable birthday bash.

“It is so important to make veterans comfortable at the end of life and show our appreciation for the sacrifices they made for our country,” said VITAS San Diego General Manager Laury Searle-Bliss. “That’s why we believe every day is Veterans Day at VITAS.”

Petty Officer Ryan’s first experience with combat weaponry was testing torpedoes for accuracy and delivering them safely to submarine bases in Newport, Rhode Island, before joining the armed forces. He often relives his time in Rhode Island and avidly recalls the Food Rationing Program of 1942, initiated by the U.S. government asking Americans to conserve resources and ration goods like food, gas and even clothing.

Petty Officer Ryan—who was in the Navy from 1943 to 1966—served as an Electronic Technician (ET). He helped operate and manage the electronics systems and subsystems of the world’s most advanced ships, including submarines.

The former Navy technician also remembers the year 1945 vividly—when he and his crew members were traveling in a submarine headed for the Pacific Ocean to combat the Japanese, when they received word that the enemy surrendered and the war had come to an end.

After the war, Petty Officer Ryan worked on the USS Brownson naval ship, a unit of Destroyer Division 101 and Destroyer Squadron 10. In 1952, he joined the Rhine River Patrol, a unit of the U.S. Navy tasked with patrolling the Rhine River in Schierstein, Germany. The unit patrolled the seas from Bingen to Karlsruhe and consisted of eleven boats—one air-sea rescue craft and 10 German torpedo recovery boats.

Petty Officer Ryan later worked on a number of naval ships and aircrafts, including the USS Bexar and the USS Intrepid.

Maximizing End-of-Life Care Benefits

Hospice is an end-of-life care option that focuses on the patient, not the disease, and aims to make life as comfortable, enjoyable and meaningful as possible. The care is provided by highly skilled interdisciplinary teams that include physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, volunteers and other specially trained palliative care experts, and is administered wherever the patient calls home. Covered by Medi-Cal and most private insurance plans, it includes expert pain management, emotional and spiritual support, and helps coordinate important benefits available to patients and their families.

Oftentimes, veterans don’t realize they’re eligible for several benefits that could improve their quality of life. Most hospice companies work closely with organizations like the Veteran Affairs (VA) system—helping veterans gather valuable information about medical, financial and burial benefits. Veterans can be referred to hospice from the VA or by community-based healthcare providers.

The federal government provides assistance to United States veterans, and the Veterans Administration (VA) covers 100 percent of hospice care. A few of the benefits veterans and their dependents may be entitled to are:

•Survivors Benefits. The VA provides assistance to surviving spouses and dependents of veterans, even if they died after active duty.

•Death Pension. The death pension is a need-based benefit paid to a surviving spouse and eligible children of a wartime veteran.

•Burial Benefits. The VA may cover some or all of the burial costs and funeral expenses. Veterans are also eligible to be buried in military cemeteries.

With more than 1,000 veterans dying in the U.S. every day, it is critical for hospice providers to offer the specialized care that veterans need and show our appreciation for the sacrifices they made for our country.

Providing Customized End-of-Life Care to Veterans

Since 1995, VITAS of San Diego has been caring for hospice-appropriate patients, including terminally ill veterans and has developed award-winning programs to provide them with the care and support they need. In fact, VITAS works closely with the VA system and is a proud “Level Four” hospice partner of the “We Honor Veterans” campaign—the highest honor a hospice provider can attain for its veterans’ programs. The designation, which was provided by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, was given in recognition of VITAS’ commitment to improving care for veterans and for helping veterans and their families identify and access government benefits for which they are eligible.

Additionally, VITAS’ veteran-to-veteran volunteer initiative pairs recruited veteran volunteers with hospice patients who have been identified as veterans themselves. Veteran volunteers relate and connect with veteran patients on a deep level, thereby helping create an atmosphere that facilitates inner peace and reflection. Veteran volunteers may visit terminally ill veterans, drive or accompany them to appointments, or offer friendly companionship and help revive memories.

“Hospices with special programs for veteran patients are better-equipped to address many of their unique clinical, emotional and spiritual needs,” said Searle-Bliss. “VITAS’ specially trained hospice staff understands how to approach and interact with veterans at the end of their lives, and is prepared to handle even the most complex patient situations.”

For more information about hospice or end-of-life care options for veterans, please visit http://www.vitas.com/hospice-care-services/caring-for-veterans or call (858)-499-8901