Images of soldiers dying on foreign battlefields remind us of the many sacrifices our armed forces have made as they fought for our Nation’s freedom. The VA mission, “To care for him who has borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” mandates the provision of compassionate end of life care for veterans and their families. In keeping with this mission, the VA has mandated that care at the end of life holds an equal priority with all other types of health care provided to veterans. Hospice and Palliative Care, as defined by the VA, is all care in which the primary goal of treatment is comfort rather than cure in a person with advanced disease that is life-limiting. Hospice and Palliative Care (HPC) collectively represent a continuum of comfort-oriented and supportive services provided in the home, community, or inpatient settings for veterans with advanced stages of incurable disease.
The VA Hospice Benefit was developed as a result of the Veterans Healthcare Eligibility Reform Act of 1996. This law mandates the provision of HPC care to eligible veterans regardless of their service connection. The West Palm Beach Hospice and Palliative Care Programs mission is to honor each veteran’s preference for end of life care while providing compassionate care at the right place and at the right time. This mission is part of a network wide initiative, which follows national VA initiatives and policy. Here, at West Palm Beach Medical Center, the HPC program is under the Geriatrics and Extended Care Service. The program is based on compassionate team work by the members of a palliative care consult team and other caring staff members who provide direct hands on patient care. The Palliative care team members help the veterans and families make difficult decisions about treatment options for terminal diagnosis, death, and dying. Some veterans decide to die at home surrounded by family, and they are referred to the hospice agency of their choice. Other veterans, especially war wounded veterans, or veterans who have no family, choose to die surrounded by the safety and familiarity of their VA family, in whose care they have entrusted their health over the years. Raising the awareness of Hospice and Palliative Care Services and approaches to veteran’s health care is a priority for the Medical Center. Initiatives for Hospice and Palliative Care staff education and training and integration of palliative care across the continuum of VA care are in progress. The West Palm Beach VA is taking the lead on development of the South Florida Hospice Veterans Partnership to improve the coordination of care and services for veterans at the end of life. This national initiative is a model of collaboration between Hospice and VA professionals, veteran stakeholders, volunteers, and other interested organizations working together to provide quality services for veterans and their families.
