Friday Five: Caring for Veterans

The Friday Five is our weekly roundup of links to smart articles and helpful resources across the Web.

1. Veteran's Day is a day to honor and recognize the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country. Take a few minutes today to read this short fact sheet from the Hospice Foundation of America about Veterans & End of Life Care. Let's work together to better the care we offer to this unique patient population.

2. Here's an article from the Des Moines Register about how Iowa veterans volunteer to help veterans in hospice care. The shared camaraderie between a veteran volunteer and a veteran hospice patient can help create a safe environment for the patient to share their military experience.

3. The Department of Veterans Affairs has recently expanded their efforts to recognize caregivers of veterans. If you are a family caregiver for a veteran, visit the VA Caregiver Support website for information, resources, and to find your local Caregiver Support Coordinator. We recognize that family members and loved ones of veterans often make great sacrifices too.

4. We suggest that all veterans take the time now to register with their local VA. People in the Southern Arizona area can register with the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System. Did you know that every veteran enrolled in the VA system is entitled to hospice care paid for or provided by the VA, regardless of category or service connection?

5. Every day, hospices around the country are caring for people facing the end of life. Roughly a quarter of all deaths in the U.S. are veteran deaths. As services, people, and organizations around our country today recognize Veteran's Day, those of us in the hospice community need to remember that "Honoring Our Veterans Includes Caring for Them at the End of Life."