We Honor Veterans is a pioneering program focused on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening, and grateful acknowledgment. By recognizing the unique needs of America’s Veterans and their families, community hospice and palliative care providers, in partnership with VA staff, learn how to accompany and guide them through their life stories toward a more peaceful ending. It surprises many people to learn that 680,000 Veterans die every year in the US – that’s 25 percent of all deaths. Hospice providers have been working to help these heroes at life’s end.
The Hospice-Veteran Partnership (HVP) Program is a collaborative effort between the department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). HVPs are comprised mainly of VA facilities and community hospices, the two primary providers of hospice care for Veterans.
Hospice of Charles county has embraced several facets of the We Honor Veterans program that benefits our patients who served in our armed services:
Vet to Vet Volunteer Program – an innovative model for serving Veterans at the end of life – the Veteran-to-Veteran (Vet-to-Vet) Volunteer Program. The Vet-to-Vet Volunteer Program aims to pair recruited Veteran Volunteers with hospice patients. Once paired, Veteran Volunteers have the unique ability to relate and connect with Veteran patients and their families.
Education – We provided ongoing education our hospice team and the community to identify and respond to the unique physical, psycho-social, and spiritual needs of Veterans.
Honor Salute – In partnership our volunteers accompany local active-duty military service members to the residence of a Veteran in our care, where they conduct a formal ceremony of recognition and appreciation for their military service. Veteran patients are saluted, presented with a Certificate of Appreciation, pinned and presented with a patriotic quilt handmade by sewing groups from the community. This unique program brings together family and friends to celebrate what is often the last time these men and women are publicly thanked for their service.
