Literature Review

VNA Hospice NWI celebrates some of its most dedicated volunteers at Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast NWI.LIFE, Valparaiso, IN; by Philip Bolton; 4/7/25 On the morning of Saturday, April 5, VNA Hospice of Northwest Indiana hosted its annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast at Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso. Volunteers who assist with VNA’s many services, including hospice and palliative care, the Medical Guardian help button program, the We Honor Veterans program, the Phoenix Center for Grief, and VNA Meals on Wheels of Porter County, were recognized. ... Matthew Naillieux, a VNA Hospice NWI volunteer, has proudly worked with the organization for 20 years. “Everything VNA Hospice NWI does is good for the community,” Naillieux said. ... "Usually, we’re volunteering at different locations at different times, and we aren’t able to get together like this very often." ... During the award presentation segment of the event, volunteers were recognized for milestone achievements. These included awards for achievements like 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service ... [Continue reading ...]Editor's note: Reminder that April is National Volunteer Month; April 20-26, 2025 is National Volunteer Week.

Today is the National Vietnam War Veterans Day, honoring 50 years since the war's end U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration Join us on 29 March, National Vietnam War Veterans Day, as Americans unite to thank and honor Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. ... The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration honors all veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time from November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, and their families. Editor's note: Several hospice "We Honor Veterans" programs have been using this commemoration to thank their community's Vietnam veterans, especially in light of differences between their returns home from those of WWII veterans. Within your networks of colleagues, friends and families, whom can you informally honor, today?

Etched in time: Hope Hospice making extra effort to recognize, appreciate New Braunfels-area veterans New Braunfels TheHerald-Zeitung, New Braunfels, TX; by Erica Wilson; 3/20/25 ... [Photo] The Veterans Plaza on Hope Hospice's New Braunfels campus is pictured on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.  ... Of Hope Hospice’s patients in the New Braunfels area, about one-fifth are typically veterans. ...  [Descriptions of their "We Honor Veterans" program.] ... [In] a show of support for community veterans, Hope Hospice’s main campus in New Braunfels has a veterans plaza honoring both living and deceased veterans. Bricks engraved with veterans' names surround a flagpole on the campus.  All veterans are eligible to have their names displayed in the plaza, whether or not Hope Hospice has served their families. Bricks can be purchased for $50, and funds go toward supporting Hope Hospice’s efforts to support veterans at the end of their lives.

Daughter asks US Marine to honor her dying war hero dad. She broke down when she answered the door next dayScoop Up Worthy; by Abhishek Bhatia; 3/13/25 The Korean War veteran's daughter, who was seen standing beside him in the footage, wanted her dad to be remembered as a national hero in his final moments. At the daughter's request, Tim visited her dad and thanked him for his service to the country. "Marine on deck. Good afternoon, Sir. Sergeant Chambers, reporting his order. You ever run across that horse in Korea that was running artillery rounds in evacuating wounded?" he asked the veteran, referring to Sergeant Reckless, a famous horse that served with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War.  ...

VA in IM marks 75th anniversary as a mainstay for veterans’ care The Daily News, Iron Mountain, MI; by Betsy Bloom; 3/6/25 A winter storm didn’t stop the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center from celebrating its 75th anniversary with an open house Wednesday. The facility opened on March 5, 1950 — it then was the largest construction project done in the Upper Peninsula — as strictly an inpatient hospital with 264 beds, primarily for treating World War II veterans ... [and much has] changed in 75 years. The medical center now serves about 22,000 veterans in the U.P.’s 15 counties, along with nine Wisconsin counties — more than 26,000 square miles, giving it the most rural patient base in the VA system. ...  Its hospice area now has a semi-private patio that allows even a full bed to be taken outside so those in end-of-life care can still enjoy some fresh air, said Mary Oman, [a] tour guide.Editor's note: Congratulations and thank you to the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center for your history of innovating care for veterans--especially your rural care system and hospice care. 

Local veterans to be honored at pinning ceremonies Call & Times, East Providence, RI; by John Baker, Pawtucket Times; 2/26/25 It never gets old for Christine Miller. Whenever she places a commemorative pin on a Vietnam War veteran and sees their reaction to it, it warms her heart, sometimes even bringing her to tears. That’s one of the best parts of her job as Beacon Hospice Care Community Engagement Coordinator, which later filtered into her becoming the president of the Rhode Island Hospice Veterans Partnership, which she herself founded. Miller, a Pawtucket resident, announced recently that, with Vietnam War Veterans Day coming up on Saturday, March 29, she will conduct a few [pinning ceremonies] ... Editor's note: Access to the full article may be limited. Pair this with today's post, National Vietnam War Veterans Day, March 29, 2025. 

Heritage Hospice’s “Scatter Hearts” project honors veterans and patients The Advocate-Messenger, Danville, KY; by Josely Labarrere; 2/19/25 Heritage Hospice volunteers are spreading love and appreciation this Valentine’s season with the “Scatter Hearts” project, a heartfelt initiative designed to bring joy to hospice patients, particularly veterans. ... “The volunteers thought it would be a good time to honor our veterans, acknowledge the sacrifices they have made for us, and bring a smile to our hospice patients,” said Wendy Hellard, Director of Volunteer Services at Heritage Hospice. ... The wooden hearts, designed to be displayed on doors, were individually painted by Heritage Hospice volunteers and community members in bright and cheerful colors. Special hearts featuring patriotic red, white, and blue designs were created for veteran patients."

[Hospice of the Western Reserve Volunteer] WWII veteran celebrates 100th birthday, years of service Fox 8 WJW-TV Cleveland, OH; 1/24/25 What were you doing on this day 100 years ago? Well, if you were World War II Veteran Bob Zonneville, you were saying “hello” to the world! On Thursday, many of his friends and family got together at David Simpson Hospice House to celebrate this incredible accomplishment. Hospice of the Western Reserve hosted the event, which had a very special meaning to both the organization and Zonneville.  Over the years, not only has this World War II veteran offered tireless support to the Hospice program, but he’s also responsible for raising nearly $100,000. Zonneville has been a passionate Hospice volunteer for decades. According to Hospice of the Western Reserve, Zonneville received the prestigious Chair’s Award for his extraordinary contributions to the hospice community in 2008. ...

Muslim American Heritage Month Celebration U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC; Denis McDonough; 1/8/25 Dr. Salaam, thank you for your service in the Air Force, and for your service in communities around the country as an Imam and civil rights leader in the years since. Your words, principles, and perspectives are as inspiring as they are important ... [Describing VA Chaplain Omer Yigiter:] He became a VA chaplain at the Northport VA Medical Center, the only Muslim chaplain serving all of VISN-2 and one of only four Muslim VA chaplains across the country. ... We must learn and re-tell stories like those shared today—to ensure the experiences of Muslim American Veterans are acknowledged and honored. Truthful storytelling is also about authentic representation, about ensuring all Veteran voices and perspectives are heard and welcomed. So to our Muslim Veterans and colleagues, your unique perspectives make VA stronger. 

Congress finalizes sweeping bill to help veteran caregivers Military Times; by Leo Shane III; 12/16/24 House lawmakers on Monday finalized a sweeping veterans bill to expand caregiver benefits for elderly and infirm veterans and update medical options for veterans outside the department’s health care system, sending the legislative package to the White House to become law. The legislation was originally passed by the chamber last month but had to be reapproved this week after technical changes were added by the Senate last week. 

Senior living organizations press senators for passage of Elizabeth Dole Act McKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 12/2/24 Senior living advocacy groups are pressing Senate Veterans Affairs Committee leaders to seek a unanimous consent agreement on the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, to expedite its passage. ... The advocates noted that the House of Representatives had passed the act Nov. 18 under suspension of the rules. The House overwhelmingly supported the bill, passing the legislation by a vote of 389–9. ... As McKnight’s Senior Living previously has reported, the pilot program would enable 60 veterans to receive assisted living services via a three-year test that also would measure their satisfaction with the effort. The legislation would require that participating facilities be located in geographically diverse regions, with at least one test site serving veterans in a rural or highly rural area and at least one being a state home.

Analysis of mortality causes and locations in veterans with ALS: A decade reviewMedical Science Monitor; Meheroz H Rabadi, Kimberly A Russell, Chao Xu; 11/24Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease that leads to rapid degeneration of nerves in the brain and spinal cord, with eventual loss of voluntary movements, including breathing. This retrospective study of medical record data from 105 US veterans diagnosed with ALS at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center between 2010 and 2021 aimed to identify patient demographics, and the causes and places of death for these veterans. This study's findings are that in veterans with ALS, the main cause of death is respiratory disease (failure). The main location of death was the home, with their family members. The all-cause mortality rate among veterans with ALS was 26 times greater than for the general Oklahoma population.

Veterans enjoy early Thanksgiving meal ABC KOLO 8 NewsNow, Reno, NV; by Terri Russell; 11/22/24 More than 250 Veterans and their families gathered at the Washoe County Senior Center to eat an early Thanksgiving meal courtesy of several local businesses and organizations. ... With such a large crowd it was all hands-on deck. But those who came to help say they were more than willing to lend a helping hand. “I knew it was above and beyond fabulous,” says Katie Hurst, with St. Mary’s Hospice of Northern Nevada. “And being in hospice business it is really important to reach out to those who are on this side of their journey. And we couldn’t find a better calling.” Plenty of donations came in to pay for the meal. ... This won’t be the last time Veterans get together for the holidays. Another meal is planned for Christmas on December 19th at the Washoe County Senior Center.