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Attached is a form (40-0247) to obtain Presidential Memorial Certificates for our deceased Veterans and Legion Members. These Certificates are beautifully signed by the President and are suitable for framing. They make a Beautiful memory for our Deceased Veterans. The Certificates take about a Month to receive.
Just a reminder, all Veterans who are receiving compensation or pension is entitled to burial benefits no matter how small their check is the VA will reimburse the family from $300.00 to $600.00.
If you have any questions, give me a call.
For God and Country,
Ed McKeon
VITAS provides specialized care to veterans at the end of life
By Thad Jaracz, LtC U.S. Army (Ret.)
Jerry, a WWII Army vet with heart disease and dementia, loved to talk about his military experiences. As his dementia progressed, he relived those days over and over.
He lived with his daughter, Debbie, who happily listened to her dad's war stories every day when she came home from work. When Jerry's heart condition worsened and he began receiving hospice care, Debbie promised him that he could die at home. But she knew that he no longer could stay home alone and she couldn't afford to hire full-time caregivers.
The veterans program team from VITAS Innovative Hospice CareŽ helped Debbie keep her promise to her dad. They aided the family in filing for and receiving a Veterans Administration special monthly pension, Aid and Attendance. The money helped Debbie hire caregivers so that Jerry could remain home for the remainder of his life. And along with providing his medical care, Jerry's VITAS team also gave Jerry and Debbie the emotional support they needed, both during his illness and, for Debbie, after Jerry's death.
Experience has taught us that America's veterans have unique needs as they approach the ends of their lives. Whether it was 10 or 50 years ago, military service can have a profound effect on veterans with a limited time to live.
At VITAS Innovative Hospice CareŽ we strive daily to honor veterans' preferences for care at the end of life and to provide them with respect, comfort and compassion. For more than five years, VIT AS has provided staff and volunteers with specialized training on the unique needs of veterans and how their military experience may affect their end of-life journey.
As Veterans Program Manager for VIT AS in Palm Beach County, Denise DiGiovanni-Segal, RN, provides specialized comfort, care and education to veterans who are hospice patients. She works closely with the Veteran's Administration, Medicare, Medicaid and local agencies and service organizations to help veterans at the end of life and their families access benefits and resources. As co-chair of the South Florida Hospice-Veteran Partnership, she educates community groups and veterans organizations about the benefits of hospice for veterans.
"Veterans account for 25 percent of all deaths every year," says DiGiovanni-Segal. "A veteran's military service often has a deep effect on his or her end-of-life experience. Hospices that identify their veteran patients and gather information about their military history are much better prepared to address many of the unique clinical and psychosocial issues resulting from their military service."
VITAS also considers veterans when recruiting volunteers. VITAS Veteran Volunteers, most of whom are veterans themselves, are trained to meet the specific needs of terminally ill veterans living in their own homes, nursing homes, assisted living communities and veterans' medical centers. Whether they are driving patients to the doctor, helping to replace lost military medals, planning memorial services for veterans or providing an understanding ear, VITAS veteran volunteers offer support and comfort to their brothers and sisters in arms.
"I'm just there for the patients to talk to, get things off their minds that they haven't talked about in years," says Brad Johanson of Lake Worth, who spent 2-1;2 years in the United States Marines. Now studying to become a nurse, Johanson, 28, wants to give back to those who gave so much.
"Even though I'm younger than most of the patients, I still feel a connection to them; it almost doesn't matter when you served, the fact that you served provides a link."
"Veteran volunteers speak the same language as our veteran patients," says DiGiovanni-Segal. "They bring their understanding of the vet's experience into the patient's home; they understand what the patient has been through.
"It is fabulous that we have these veterans willing to give their time to other vets," she adds. "We need more of them."
For more information about VITAS services or VITAS volunteering, contact 561.364.1479 or visit www.VITAS.com.
Thad Jaracz is senior director of corporate services for VITAS Innovative Hospice CareŽ, one of the nation's oldest and largest providers of end-ol-life care. Thad develops and implements the VITAS Veterans' Initiative, which identifies and meets the unique end-of-life needs of the aging veteran population.
Provided by:
Ed McKeon
Service Office