Serving Those Who Served Our Country Requires Specialized Care

Nancy Auster, R.N., personifies this drive to help veterans. After serving in the military herself, and working more than two decades as a nurse for VITAS, Auster jumped at the opportunity to serve as a veteran liaison—a role VITAS created to serve the unique needs of veteran patients at the end of life.

 

“As a Registered Nurse and a veteran of the United States Air Force, VITAS’ veterans initiative is something near and dear to my heart. Knowing that I can make a difference in veterans’ lives brings me a lot of joy and contentment,” said Auster.

 

VITAS cares for approximately 450 veterans in South Florida. One of the unique ways VITAS honors them is by coordinating special bedside salute ceremonies to pay tribute and properly acknowledge them for their dedicated service to our country. Auster pins each veteran with an American flag and presents them with a certificate of appreciation and a special patriotic blanket made with love by VITAS volunteers. After reciting a poem and singing patriotic songs, “we all give the veteran a nice big hand salute to show our appreciation for their service.”

 

One particular bedside salute stands out to Auster. A Vietnam veteran with advanced cancer linked to exposure to Agent Orange remained silent throughout the ceremony. “We said, ‘Thank you for your service,’ and with a Vietnam veteran you always say, ‘Welcome home.’”

 

“All of a sudden he said, in a faint whisper: ‘I’ve waited 48 years to hear that.’”

 

Auster also met an original member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American combat pilots in U.S. history that fought in World War II, of which approximately 200 remain alive today. “I was honored to be in the presence of this wonderful man whose service and combat team are a true testament of bravery.”

 

VITAS also sponsors the South Florida Honor Flight Network that sends World War II and Vietnam veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit their war memorials. “Honor Flight is another experience that changed me as a person,” Auster said. “Not only is it heartwarming to see how veterans react when they see their memorials, but it’s especially touching to witness their return flight home and find dozens of family, friends and community supporters gathered at the airport’s arrival terminal happy to celebrate their safe return home.”

 

Veterans have unique needs. For many with post-traumatic stress disorder, for example, facing the end of life can bring unresolved issues to the forefront. “If we don’t take the time to help our veteran patients resolve certain issues or fulfill unmet goals, their passing will not be as comfortable as it could be.”

 

Also, veterans generally do not like to report when they’re in pain, Auster said. “Starting with basic training, military culture encourages soldiers to be stoic. Here they are 50 or 60 years later, and they may need hospice care, but they still are not going to tell you they are in pain.”

 

VITAS’ specially trained hospice staff understands how to approach and interact with veterans at the end of their lives. “While we are proud to provide excellent individualized care to all hospice-appropriate patients, veterans receive a specialized level of care that meets their specific needs.”

 

VITAS partners with many local organizations to meet the needs of its patients who are veterans, including those who are indigent and who don’t have a family or loved ones. One recent example of a unique collaboration happened in 2015 when VITAS found out that when indigent persons pass away (some of which are veterans), their cremated remains were getting scattered in an unused section of the Miami-Dade Public Cemetery.

 

Wanting to beautify their last resting place, VITAS and Miami Dade Indigent Cremation Services personnel worked together to create a beautiful scatter garden. Dozens of volunteers from VITAS and many local organizations participated in the beautification project and in September of 2015, the scatter garden was unveiled to the public in a touching and inspiring ceremonial event.

 

The collaboration continues today with the upkeep of the scatter garden and with VITAS chaplains that perform proper memorial services every few months when the ashes are scattered in the new scatter garden.

 

As a veteran liaison, Auster works with the Veteran Affairs (VA) system— answering questions and providing valuable information about medical, financial and burial benefits. “Sometimes veterans don’t realize they’re eligible for several benefits that could improve their quality of life. I’ve connected hundreds of veterans with services and organizations that made a big difference for them.”

 

Even though Auster sees up to five veterans each day, there are always more veterans in need. “I wish there was more time in the day that I could devote to helping veterans fulfill their end-of-life wishes.”