Five Tips to Support Those Who’ve Lost a Loved One in Service to our Country

There is greater significance to Memorial Day (May 30) than the start of the summer season. Memorial Day is a time to publicly show our respect for those who have lost their lives in defense of our country and to offer support to grieving loved ones.

As we mark Memorial Day this year, we are a country involved in conflicts abroad. The ongoing fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to take a toll on our nation. Serious injuries and the untimely deaths of our brave service men and women remind us that life is precious.

Hospice and palliative care professionals – who help families cope with loss on a daily basis – share ideas on how to honor this sacrifice on Memorial Day and every day:

1. Acknowledge the day with a phone call or card to the family; tell a story you remember about the service member who has died and/or ask the family to share a story. Keeping their loved one’s memory alive is an important part of healthy grief and coping.

2. Offer to accompany or take the grieving person to the cemetery or other place of remembrance; people are sometimes reluctant to take advantage of such opportunities alone and will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

3. Make a donation in memory of the person who has died to a charity that was important to the service member or the family; this can be a powerful reminder to them that you remember and that you care.

4. Listen. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give is to listen to what others think and feel. Supporting those who are grieving can be as simple as lending an ear or holding a hand.

5. Acknowledge your own feelings; share the range of thoughts and emotions you experience with someone you trust, but not necessarily with the grieving family. Whether it is pride or shame, grief or hope, sharing these feelings is important.

Memorial Day can be a time to reach out to each other and share in our communal experience of grief and loss.

Your community hospice can be a source of information on grief and bereavement.Caring Connections, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, also offers information on grief at caringinfo.org or by calling the HelpLine at 1-800-658-8898.

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Hospice and palliative care providers interested in learning how to address the unique needs of Veterans at the end of life, should learn more about We Honor Veterans, an pioneering program of NHPCO, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),that focuses on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgment.

NHPCO Congratulates “We Honor Veterans” Grant Recipients for 2011

(Alexandria, Va) – Five hospice organizations from across the nation have been chosen as grant recipients in the third year of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Reaching Out grants program. The grantees are:

• Guardian Hospice – Franklin, Tennessee
• Hope Hospice & Palliative Care – Medford, Wisconsin
• Hospice of Central Iowa – West Des Moines
• Mercy Hospice – Roseburg, Oregon
• Mountain Hospice – Belington, West Virginia

Funded through a contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Reaching Out grants were created to support innovative programs committed to increasing access to hospice and palliative care for rural and homeless Veterans.

“These grants serve a two-fold purpose,” said J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO. “They support specific, community-based programs and the lessons learned will help the VA in discovering new ways to reach veterans who are homeless or living in rural areas and in need of quality care as they near the end of life.”

Throughout 2011, grantees will be implementing outreach models in their communities designed to expand and increase the quality of care and services provided to Veterans coping with life-limiting illness.

The models guiding the work to be done in 2011 were originally developed by Reaching Out grantees in 2009 and 2010. The 18 grantees who were part of year one and two of the Reaching Out grants program focused on establishing partnerships between community hospices and VA facilities – all with the ultimate goal of increasing access and improving quality of care for Veterans.

In addition to the distinguished organizations receiving grant awards this year, work continues by the organizations that were 2010 Reaching Out grant recipients: Arkansas Hospice, Inc.; California Hospice Foundation; Delaware Hospice, Inc.; Hospice of the Bluegrass; Hospice of Chattanooga, Inc.; and LINK of Hampton Roads, Inc.

Grant reviewers from the field evaluated forty proposals submitted to NHPCO.

“All of us at NHPCO and the VA appreciate the enthusiastic response to the Reaching Out program and we thank our current and previous grantees for their continuing dedication to serving Veterans", added Schumacher.

As part of the initiative to reach more Veterans in need of hospice and palliative care, NHPCO in collaboration with the VA created the We Honor Veterans website (www.WeHonorVeterans.org) offering information and resources for organizations interested in better serving Veterans at the end of life.

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Media Contact:
Jon Radulovic, 703-837-3139 or jradulovic@nhpco.org.
Emil Zuberbueler, 703-647-6687 or ezuberbueler@nhpco.org.

NHPCO is the oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. NHPCO’s mission is to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life, www.nhpco.org.

We Honor Veterans, a program of NHPCO in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, provides educational tools and resources that promote Veteran-centric educational activities, increases organizational capacity to serve Veterans, supports development of strategic partnerships, and increases access and improve quality, www.WeHonorVeterans.org

It's never too late to say 'thank you' to our nation's Veterans: even at the end of life

A Message from J. Donald Schumacher, PsyD
President/CEO
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

Americans across the country celebrate Veterans Day on November 11, a special day to salute the men and women who have bravely served our country in the military.

These fellow Americans have made profound sacrifices in defense of freedom and they deserve our heartfelt thanks and appreciation. Honoring our nation’s Veterans includes supporting them throughout their entire lives, especially at the end.

As our nation marks Veterans Day 2010, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization deepens its commitment to increase Veterans’ access to the compassionate, high quality care available from the nation’s hospice and palliative care providers.

NHPCO has been a long-time supporter of the valuable work being done by the Department of Veterans Affairs to bring palliative care services to VA Medical Centers and the communities they serve.

This past month, NHPCO in collaboration with the VA, took a great step forward to help healthcare providers better serve Veterans at life’s end by launching the website www.WeHonorVeterans.org, the centerpiece of the new We Honor Veterans campaign. This campaign will help those who provide care at the end of life, better understand the unique needs of our nation’s Veterans.

But there is something that every American can do to honor and serve our Veterans – and that is to say, “thank you.” Not just on November 11 but all year long.

Ask your friends, neighbors, coworkers and others in your community whether they have served in the military (you may be surprised how many have)—and thank those who have served for their sacrifice.

A generation of World War II and Korean War Veterans are facing end-of-life care decisions now, and they are quickly being followed by younger Vietnam War Veterans, many of whom are confronting serious illnesses at an even earlier age.

It surprises many Americans to learn that every day, 1,800 Veterans die. That’s more than 680,000 Veterans every year – or 25 percent of all the people who die in this country annually.

The liberty that we, as US citizens, enjoy comes at a price paid by these valiant men and women. Let each of us make sure we do our part to recognize and support them throughout their lives.

If you know a Veteran who is in need of the special care hospice and palliative care brings to people facing serious and life-limiting illness, please reach out and help them learn more about care options. Information is available from NHPCO’s Caring Connections at www.caringinfo.org or by calling the HelpLine at 1-800-658-8898.

To all our nation’s Veterans, thank you.

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Don's 2010 November Video Update

For more information visit, http://www.nhpco.org

We Honor Veterans Campaign will Help Providers Care for Veterans at the End of Life

(NHPCO, Alexandria, VA) – It surprises many Americans to learn that 25 percent of all deaths in the US are Veterans. That’s 1,800 people a day; more than 680,000 Veterans every year. These heroic Americans deserve recognition for their military service – particularly at the end of life’s journey. A new resource will help healthcare professionals honor our Veterans.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is launching We Honor Veterans, a pioneering campaign to help improve the care Veterans receive from hospice and palliative care providers.

By recognizing the unique needs of our nation’s Veterans who are facing a life-limiting illness, hospice and palliative care providers will be able to accompany and guide America’s Veterans and their families toward a more peaceful ending. And in cases where there might be some specific needs, related to the Veteran’s military service, combat experience or other traumatic events, providers will find tools to help support those they are caring for.

The resources of We Honor Veterans focus on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening, and grateful acknowledgment, coupled with Veteran-centric education of staff caring for Veterans.

“All hospices are serving Veterans but often aren’t aware of that person’s service in the armed forces,” said J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO. “Through We Honor Veterans we are taking a giant step forward in helping hospice and palliative care providers understand and serve Veterans at the end of life and work more effectively with VA medical facilities in their communities.”

Remarked Thomas Edes, VA Director of Home and Community Based Care “The VA shares a common goal with our nation’s hospices, and that is to provide the best possible care specifically tailored for Veterans, meeting their goals of care in their preferred setting. As we focus on working together and unite our services and skills, We Honor Veterans will channel our combined strengths directly to Veterans - wherever they are receiving care.”

“America’s Veterans have done everything asked of them in their mission to serve our country and we believe it is never too late to give them a hero’s welcome home. Now it is time that we step up, acquire the necessary skills and fulfill our mission to serve these men and women with the dignity they deserve,” added Schumacher.

A newly launched website, wehonorveterans.org, provides hospice and palliative care providers, state hospice organizations, and Hospice Veteran Partnerships with tools and resources that will encourage them to:

• Learn more about caring for Veterans;
• Declare a commitment to honoring Veterans at the end of life;
• Partner with VA at the local, regional and national level;
• Assess their current ability to serve Veterans;
• Provide education for hospice staff and volunteers;
• Measure quality and outcomes for continued improvement.

The We Honor Veterans campaign will provide tiered recognition to organizations that demonstrate a systematic commitment to improving care for Veterans. These “Partners” will assess their ability to serve Veterans and, using resources provided as part of the campaign, integrate best practices for providing end-of-life care to Veterans into their organization.

As Americans prepare to honor our nation’s heroes on Veterans Day, November 11, and pay tribute to the men and women who have served our country, NHPCO and the VA are proud to make this new resource available.

To learn more about We Honor Veterans or to support this important work, please visit wehonorveterans.org.

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Media Contacts:
Jon Radulovic, 703-837-3139 or jradulovic@nhpco.org
or
Andy Duncan, 703-837-3145 or aduncan@nhpco.org