We Honor Veterans: Serving Veterans at the End of Life
Over 4,300 hospice organizations and community partners provide Veteran-centered care to our nation’s heroes.
As the nation prepares to celebrate our nation’s Veterans this Veterans Day, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the We Honor Veterans program would like to thank those who served and the over 4,300 organizations across the nation, committed to providing Veterans with the care and resources they deserve when dealing with a serious or life-limiting illness. We Honor Veterans partners address both physical and emotional needs, including the psychological toll of war and how it impacts the end-of-life journey.
A new video released by the We Honor Veterans program features William, a Veteran of the US Navy and a volunteer with the Veteran-to-Veteran volunteer program at Sangre de Cristo Hospice and Palliative Care in Boulder, Colorado. The Veteran-to-Veteran volunteer program, a We Honor Veterans initiative, pairs veteran patients with volunteers who have also served their country and share a unique and honorable bond. “Veterans will talk more with a Veteran than they will to most everybody, except a spouse maybe,” William states in the video.
NHPCO, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, created the We Honor Veterans program to empower hospice and other non-hospice community partners across America to meet the unique needs of seriously ill Veterans and their families. Partners engage in activities including utilizing a military history checklist at admission, pinning ceremonies and certificate presentations, as well as outreach to other community organizations.
“The We Honor Veterans program has helped healthcare professionals and volunteers understand and serve Veterans at the end of life for over five years now,” said J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO. “We continue to add more partners to the program each year –a testament of the overwhelming commitment to serve our nation’s heroes with the dignity they deserve.”
There are four levels of distinction that program partners can earn based on their involvement with Veteran education and interaction with the Veterans and family members they are caring for. The goal of these levels is to ensure the very best care is being provided to those who have served our nation.
As we celebrate our nation’s heroes this Veterans Day – and every day of the year – we must not forget that it is never too late to give them a hero’s welcome home.
Learn more at WeHonorVeterans.org.