Special Programs for Veterans
Recent estimates indicate that an average 1,800 U.S. veterans die each day. Each of these brave men and women are entitled to quality end-of-life care that is sensitive to their unique needs.
The effects of past traumas experienced by our nation’s veterans can affect their physical, emotional and social quality of life. For some veterans, the emotional anguish of deeply buried combat memories may surface. For others, their military training make condition them to “grin and bear pain” without asking for medication to relieve it. Others may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and the substance abuse, depression and anxieties that often accompany it. Samaritan’s care teams receive training to identify and respond sensitively to the needs and wishes of each veteran in our care – and his/her family and friends.
A Team Approach to Care
Each patient in our care receives the services of a clinical team devoted to his/her needs and wishes. These services may include:
• Physicians
• Nurses
• Social Workers
• Spiritual Support Counselors
• Certified Home Health Aides
• Complementary Therapists including massage and music therapists
• Volunteers
• Bereavement Counselors
• Round-the-clock, weekend and holiday telephone access to our staff with visits as needed
• Medications and medical equipment delivered to the home
• Bereavement support – during and after hospice care – including individual and family counseling, free grief support groups and memorial services
Features of Samaritan’s Veterans Services
• PTSD counseling through our Center for Grief Support in collaboration
with the NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA)
• Samaritan care collaboration with Veterans Health Administration and community providers
• Trained volunteers, including some who are veterans themselves, to support
both the veteran and family caregivers
• Knowledgeable clinical staff to connect veteran and family with any VA
or community benefits/resource for which they may qualify
• Extensive outreach and education to veteran groups and community
providers to increase awareness and earlier access to care for veterans
• Special expressions of gratitude and recognition for veterans’ service including presentation of a
commemorative pin and personalized certificates at Memorial and Veterans Day.
Hospice Care For Enrolled Veterans Receiving VA Benefits
The mission of the VA Hospice and Palliative Care Initiative is to honor veterans wishes at the end of life. That includes where and how they receive hospice care. VA enrolled veterans can choose whether they'd prefer the VA, Medicare or their private insurance provide and/or pay for their hospice care.
If you choose to receive hospice care through the VA medical benefits package:
• Referral for hospice care be made:
a) by the VA to the community hospice OR
b) by the community hospice to the VA
• Hospice and VA staff work together to coordinate care
• VA physician can be the attending physician
• Veterans can receive both hospice and other VA services at the same time.
• For more information, check with the Veterans Service Officer for your county at: http://www.nj.gov/military/veterans/njguide/appendix-b.html
For VA to pay for hospice care:
– Veterans must be enrolled in VA to have VA pay for benefits
– VA physician approves VA-paid hospice care
Veterans and their families who are not VA enrolled may choose hospice care through Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers.
Special Grant Program for Mercer County Veterans:
Vets Helping Vets
Mercer County veterans and their spouses who are receiving hospice care from Samaritan Hospice can receive additional direct in-home care, support and respite through a generous grant from the Disabled American Veterans Joseph A. McNerney Chapter #41 in Hamilton Twp.
The program provides additional services from certified home health aides for:
• personal care such as bathing and dressing
• assistance with feeding
• light housekeeping
• meal preparation for the patient
• emotional breaks for caregivers
• care while the primary caregiver attends appointments or family events
Eligibility
– Any Mercer County veterans and their spouses who are receiving hospice care from Samaritan Hospice; the veteran can either be the caregiver or patient and need not belong to DAV Chapter #41
– Current members of DAV Chapter # 41 and their spouses who live in Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester or Atlantic counties and are receiving hospice care from Samaritan Hospice
– DAV members living outside these counties served by Samaritan who are receiving hospice care from a hospice in their area. The hospice provider must contact Samaritan before providing additional services.
Samaritan Hospice is a proud active member of the HVPNJ. The HVPNJ, hosted by the New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, brings together staff from VA facilities, community hospices, county services and community volunteers to work together to improve end-of-life care for veterans. Hospice staff and VA staff provide information to each other, and to patients and families, such as: what services they provide and who is eligible for care, and how to resolve issues related to referral and reimbursement. They provide each other with formal education and resources about their specific knowledge and skills as well as jointly providing community education programs or speakers to raise the level of awareness of veterans' end-of-life care issues. A Samaritan staff member has been privileged to serve as HVPNJ's co-chair for the last two years.
For more information on the HVPNJ, visit their website or contact Carol Paprocki at 856-552-3250 or cpaprocki@samaritanhospice.org.
Why there is a need for community hospices and VA to work together
• One out of every four US deaths is a veteran
• 85% of veterans do not receive VA health system care
• Of those veterans that are VA-enrolled, 96% still still seek care at the end of life from community medical providers and hospices.