Literature Review

Supporting bereaved caregivers: Adaptation of the REACH behavioral interventionOmega; by Jennifer Martindale-Adams, Jeffrey K Zuber, Deanna Stark, Linda O Nichols; 9/25The brief REACH VA intervention for bereaved caregivers, adapted from the REACH VA (Resources for Enhancing All Caregivers' Health) behavioral caregiver intervention, was piloted October 2023 to March 2025. REACH is structured and standardized to focus on information about grief and bereavement, support, and physical and emotional well-being through problem solving, cognitive reframing, and stress management, but targeted to each bereaved caregiver's specific needs through a Risk Assessment. An accompanying Notebook provides information on practical issues, understanding grief, grief activators, and moving from the caregiver role. On average, caregivers reported significant improvements in depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, and symptoms of anger ... In February 2025, through the Department of Veterans Affairs Caregiver Support Program, each VA facility implemented the program. 

Hundreds of veterans to be honored at Summit Park during welcome home celebration ABC WCPO-9, Blue Ash, OH; by Taylor Woods; 9/24/25Hospice of Cincinnati is hosting its fourth annual welcome home celebration for veterans at Summit Park, honoring their service and sacrifice with special tributes. Meet Karl Matson, a retired Air Force veteran who now enjoys taking long walks at the park. ... "It's incredibly powerful to see the country honoring veterans today, especially for the Vietnam War veterans, they came back in during a tough time," Matson said. He is a hospice volunteer. According to Hospice of Cincinnati, one out of four hospice patients are veterans. Matson said it's important to recognize their sacrifices. Tributes will be given to veterans of each era, honoring those who are still around and those who are no longer with us.

Wound care at Sheridan VA gives 95-year-old Veteran a second chance: Veteran removed from hospice care at Sheridan VA after wounds heal VA News; by Jesus Flores; 9/12/25 When 95-year-old Air Force Veteran Roy Clifton arrived at Sheridan VA Medical Center (SVAMC) in March 2025, he thought he didn’t have much time left. “I had a bone infection in both feet and could barely walk,” he said. “Then I had a fall that caused a bleed in my brain. That’s when I decided to call it quits and go to hospice.” ... [Scroll ahead to this hospice's expert wound care.] Although both feet had exposed bones, and the injuries looked and smelled bad, Clifton’s body was healing. ... Clifton’s condition improved so much, he was taken off hospice care. “It made me feel great to survive hospice,” he said, smiling. “They’re all great. The staff took good care of me.”

VA end-of-life care honors Veterans and comforts families: Choosing the right placeVA News; by Sarah M. Tolstyka; 8/29/25End-of-life care is one of the most personal decisions a Veteran and their family will ever make. VA offers hospice services across a variety of settings—including its own Community Living Centers (CLCs), contracted community nursing homes and home hospice agencies. While each Veteran’s needs are unique, the setting in which hospice care is provided can profoundly shape the experience. One invaluable resource in this decision-making process is VA’s Bereaved Family Survey, which measures family satisfaction with end-of-life (EOL) care. The data consistently show families report higher satisfaction with VA CLC hospice care than with community-based hospice. Currently, 87% of families rate VA CLC EOL care a 9 or 10 on a 0–10 scale, compared to 81% for community hospice care. These findings reflect clinical excellence and VA’s commitment to honoring Veterans through every stage of life... Families frequently recall the small but meaningful details of VA care, like the Honor Walk or Final Salute, a ceremonial procession to honor a Veteran’s death. “The Walk of Honor is something I will always remember,” one family member shared. Another noted, “He was brought back to VA and, as my son said, ‘He was given back his dignity.’ I can’t even begin to say how wonderful VA is.”

Marine veteran volunteers to ensure no veteran dies alone Greater Good; by Guest Contributor; 8/18/25 At the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, a quiet act of service is taking place—one that speaks volumes about dedication, compassion, and the enduring bonds of military brotherhood. Marine veteran Frank Steffel has spent the past nine years volunteering with the “No Veteran Dies Alone” program, a national initiative designed to ensure that veterans in hospice care are not left without companionship in their final moments. This powerful mission reflects a solemn promise: no service member should ever be forgotten or left behind. Steffel’s work is part of a broader effort that has been active at the Milwaukee VA for about a decade.

Vet to Vet Cafe brings veterans together Tribune Chronicle, Warren, ; by Bob Coupland; 7/26/25 Veterans looking for a casual place to gather for fellowship, conversation, snacks and education can visit the newly formed Vet to Vet Cafe at the Warren SCOPE Senior Center. The new program, which started this summer, runs from 2 to 4 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the senior center, ... John Bower, chaplain for Grace Hospice, said there are educational programs focused on veterans, including assistance with therapy access, acquiring necessary items such as hearing aids and utilizing services offered by the Veterans Association.  “We started in June as an opportunity to get veterans together for conversation or educational programs,” Bower said. ... Autumn Lopez, administrator for Grace Hospice, expressed enthusiasm for organizing the Vet to Vet Cafe with participating veterans. “The goal is to connect veterans with the services and programs that are out there to help them,” she said.

VA announces expanded burial benefits for those under VA-provided hospice care Tri-State Alert; by Staff Report; 7/11/25 The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it has temporarily expanded burial benefits for certain Veterans, per the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. The new law specifies eligible Veterans are those who are discharged from VA-provided medical or nursing care to receive VA-provided hospice care at their home and who pass away between July 1, 2025, and Oct. 1, 2026. Previously, Veterans who died at home under VA hospice care after discharge from VA-provided medical or nursing care were not always eligible for a full VA burial allowance. The Dole Act addresses that gap.

Hospice of Redmond to host special presentation by Project Recover: Bringing missing military home The Source, Redmond, OR; 7/1/25 Hospice of Redmond is honored to announce a special presentation featuring Project Recover, an organization dedicated to finding and bringing home military personnel missing in action (MIA). The event will take place on Thursday, July 9, 2025, from 1:30-3:00 PM ... The presentation will feature Adrian De La Rosa, Chief Operating Officer of Project Recover, who will share insights into the organization's critical work. ... "At Hospice of Redmond, Veterans are near and dear to our hearts," said Jody Logsdon, Volunteer Coordinator at Hospice of Redmond. "We believe every veteran deserves to be honored, thanked for their sacrifice, and returned home with the dignity they’ve earned. ..."

Temporal trends in opioid-related care and pain among Veterans at the end of lifeJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Melissa W. Wachterman, Stuart R. Lipsitz, Erin Beilstein-Wedel, Walid F. Gellad, Karl A. Lorenz, Nancy L. Keating; 7/25In response to the opioid crisis, federal guidelines were implemented, including the Veterans Health Administration's (VA) Opioid Safety Initiative in 2013. The impact of policies on patients near the end of life is unknown. Over a time period during which opioid safety initiatives were implemented, opioid prescribing near the end of life decreased, accompanied by decreases in opioid-related hospitalizations but increases in pain. These findings suggest that important tradeoffs may exist between reducing opioid-related serious adverse events and undertreating patient pain in the last month of life. Opioid prescribing guidelines could consider incorporating prognosis into recommendations.

Mālama Ola earns top national honor for veteran hospice careMaui News; 6/18/25Mālama Ola Health Services, based on Oʻahu, has become the first hospice and palliative care organization in the state of Hawai‘i to earn Level 5 status from We Honor Veterans, the highest recognition awarded by the national program for veteran-centered end-of-life care. The designation places Mālama Ola among just 233 organizations—about 7% of over 3,300 participating nationwide—that have achieved Level 5. Only 41 of those also provide both hospice and palliative care services.

Advancing Symptom Alleviation with Palliative Treatment (ADAPT): A qualitative study to understand how a nurse and social worker palliative telecare team improved quality of life in chronic illnessJournal of Applied Gerontology; Amy Ladebue, Juliana G. Barnard, Leah M. Haverhals, Brianne Morgan, Kelly Blanchard, Marilyn Sloan, David B. Bekelman; 5/25 The Advancing Symptom Alleviation with Palliative Treatment (ADAPT) trial found that a nurse and social worker palliative telecare team (providing care via phone) improved quality of life in older Veteran patients with chronic illness. Our objective was to describe clinician and patient experiences of ADAPT and how ADAPT influenced Veterans’ quality of life. We used thematic analysis on structured interviews with 36 randomly selected patients, semi-structured focus groups with nine palliative care intervention team clinicians, and clinical intervention summaries of 147 patients. ADAPT proved to be an effective model for most Veterans by improving Veterans’ health care delivery and navigation and promoting timely and holistic health care and teaching skills that improved wellbeing. ADAPT also helped to improve patient engagement and sense of agency.

A World War II hero is facing his final battle - with Medicare | PennLive letters PennLive Patriot News; by PenLive Letters to the Editor; 6/5/25 “Is this how one treats a 100-year-old World War II Army veteran?” I am such, having defended my country in the Philippines and then as one of the first GIs to step on Japan’s shores when it surrendered. Today, I am a widower, living alone under hospice care in the same small, comfortable home my wife and I cherished for so many years. My health condition has deteriorated dramatically, due to the ravages of ESRD, bladder cancer, anemia, high blood pressure, depression, and loss of balance. I am mostly bedridden, waiting for the inevitable. And yet, just now, I have received a Notice of Discharge from hospice because of an “extended prognosis,” literally meaning in lay terms that, “I’m living too long for hospice and Medicare purposes.” They argue that I’m now able enough medically to make it on my own without hospice care! ... I know I have only weeks, perhaps a month to live, but their rejoinder is simply, “Thank you for your service, but get out of our sight.”Editor's note: Click here for a similar related article and my editor's note, Dementia patient discharged from hospice over Medicare requirement. Here’s why it happened. (One of our "most read" Sunday posts.) These cases are too common. Basic communication, information, and coordinated care planning can mitigate much of the distress and pain. How does this dynamic play out with the patients and families you serve?

Veteran’s Last Patrol joins NVBDC’s MVO Task Force to support veterans in hospice care Eurozone.Newswire, Detroit, MI; by EIN Presswire.com; 5/27/25 The National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) proudly welcomes Veterans Last Patrol as the newest member of its Military and Veteran Organization (MVO) Task Force. This collaboration expands the Task Force’s ability to reach and support Veterans during one of the most critical moments in their lives—end-of-life care. Founded by retired military officer Claude Schmid, Veterans’ Last Patrol is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing companionship and support to Veterans in hospice care. With a mission to “befriend, honor, and support,” the organization works to ensure that no Veteran faces the end of life alone, offering meaningful connection and comfort during their final days, or their “Last Patrol.”