At the top of my list each year are my family, their health and the many blessings of living in a free country. With Veterans Day just around the corner, I am reminded that "freedom is never free" and I am especially thankful for all those brave men and women who have served in the military to protect and defend the many freedoms we are blessed to enjoy.
Did you know that every day over 1,800 Veterans die? That is more than 680,000 Veterans per year or about one in 4 people who die annually. A vast majority of these Veterans are not enrolled in the VA and may not be aware of the many end-of-life care resources available to them through the Medicare Hospice Benefit and additional support available through the VA. As our nation celebrates Veterans Day on November 11th, Hospice of the Valleys salutes our Veterans! We feel that honoring our nation's Veterans includes supporting them throughout their entire lives including providing compassionate end-of-life Hospice care.
At Hospice of the Valleys, we are proud to participate in the We Honor Veterans Program which is a specialized program developed by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs designed to improve access and the quality of care for Veterans in our community. Through his outreach program, Hospice of the Valleys has been able to connect Veterans with valuable resources to assist with the cost of providing additional care as well as providing pinning ceremonies which are an opportunity to honor our veterans and thank them for their service.
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care month, and it only seems fitting that I acknowledge how very thankful I am to work with a team of caring and dedicated professionals who are committed to helping patients be comforted and cared for when they can no longer be cured. If you know a Veteran who would benefit from the specialized care hospice brings to people facing serious and life-limiting illness, please reach out and let them know that Hospice of the Valleys is here to help them.
