Page 50 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine
P. 50

Hospice of Lubbock




       Honors Veterans

       through National

       Program Participation







                  ne  in  four  dying  Americans  is  a  veteran,   Outreach to all veterans
                  according to the We Honor Veterans website,
          Owww.WeHonorVeterans.org. Of the totality of          As per the requirements of participation in the WHV
          patients served by Hospice of Lubbock, 18-20 percent   program, the Hospice of Lubbock committee strives to
          of the patients are veterans.                         support not only their veteran patients, but also looks
                                                                for opportunities to help with veteran needs on a local
          We Honor Veterans (WHV) is a national partnership     level. The requirement is fulfilled willingly with much
          between  the  Veterans  Administration  and  the      love and respect for those who have served.
          National  Hospice  and  Palliative  Care  organization.
          Any  hospice,  palliative  medicine  or  home  health   “In 2015 we facilitated the ‘Bless a Marine’ program,
          agency can participate and receive the ultimate 4-star   which provided care boxes to active Marines stationed
          designation.  Hospice  of  Lubbock  (HoL)  became     overseas,”  Chase  said.  “All  kinds  of  donations  were
          involved in the program in 2013 and earned its level 4   collected all over town and sent to a specific platoon
          (4-star) designation in 2015.                         in Afghanistan. Our goal was 12 boxes — we ended
                                                                up with 123!”
          “The  different  levels  of  training  for  the  designation
          involve  providing  staff  and  volunteer  education   “Every veteran who comes on our service gets a framed
          and  programs,  community  education  and  outreach,   certificate  with  their  name  and  branch  of  service
          and hospice-veteran partnerships,” said Rose Chase,   printed on it; and a small angel figurine holding a flag,”
          community  and  patient  educator  with  Hospice  of   Presley  said.  “I  can’t  believe  the  number  of  people
          Lubbock. “The program not only recognizes Hospice     who cry and say ‘nobody’s ever thanked me.’ We had
          of Lubbock patients who are veterans, but reaches out   no idea when we started this, how far-reaching this
          into the community as well, to honor all veterans.”   would be. It’s amazing how many of those certificates
                                                                or angels show up when people do a memory table
          According  to  Cheryl  Presley,  WHV  chairperson,    at  a  funeral.  They’ve  become  very  important  to  the
          and  HoL  volunteer  coordinator,  there  are  10     recipients and their families.”
          devoted members comprising Hospice of Lubbock’s
          WHV  committee,  made  up  of  staff,  volunteers  and   “We  have  done  something  for  our  veterans  each
          community members.                                    Veterans  Day  since  we’ve  become  involved,  for  the
                                                                last four years,” Chase said. “Our staff benefits from
          “Even  staff  and  community  who  aren’t  on  the    this as much as the patients and their families do.”
          committee feel a connection to the WHV program and
          a desire to serve our veterans,” Presley said.        Although the complete list is much  more
          WHV helps them track trends of where their veterans   comprehensive, here are a few examples of the many
          are  coming  from.  Since  they  started  four  years  ago,   instances  in  which  HoL  has  served  their  patients
          Presley says there are fewer WWII veterans and more   and  local  veterans  through  its  We  Honor  Veterans
          from the Korean and Vietnam wars.                     program:


          “The more we know about our patients individually,    •   In  2014  they  presented  a  flag  to  Open  Door
          whether a veteran or not, the better we can serve them.   (then Carpenter’s Church) in honor of homeless
          Our  veteran  patients  do  have  different  emotional   veterans that they serve.
          needs depending on their time and place of service,
          and different emotions can emerge as a person’s life is   •   During Veterans Day week 2016, nice pins were
          ending,” said Presley.                                   ordered, and delivered to the veteran patients. “It
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