NHPCO NewsLine Fall 2017 - 52

News From We Honor Veterans
We Honor Veterans
"Share Your Story" Contest
Winner: Unity Hospice
The winner of the We
Honor Veterans "Share
Your Story" contest
is Unity Hospice of
Northwest Indiana. We
Honor Veterans partner
programs were asked
to share photos and
stories that highlight
Unity Hospice submitted this photo
what honor means to
of Mr. Louis Hoelle, a World War II
Veteran.
their organization's
partnership and to the Veteran patients they serve.
Read more...

Improving End-of-Life Care
Begins with Honoring Patient
Preferences
By: Scott T. Shreve and Susan C. Miller
Dying in the U.S. is "far harder than it should be,"
according to the Institute of Medicine report Dying
in America. The interests and inclinations of payers
and providers often outweigh the needs of patients,
especially when it comes to end-of-life care. Take
hospice care for seniors. If Medicare beneficiaries
choose hospice care, they lose Medicare coverage for
disease modifying interventions, nursing home and
hospital care. This isn't much of a choice for patients
and certainly doesn't account for their preferences.
At the same time, physicians often substitute more
familiar options, like surgery, regardless of patient
goals or in lieu of a full range of alternatives (e.g.
palliative care). In order to improve end-of-life care,
health care systems and providers must first align
the care they deliver to their patients' values, goals
and preferences. Read more...

NHPCO NewsLine | Fall 2017

Honoring Those Who Fought
for Our Freedom
NHPCO summer intern Kevin Curwick
writes about attending an honor flight event.
My first honor flight experience was one I will never
forget. One hundred and ten Veterans from the
Korean and Vietnam Wars arrived in Washington,
D.C. on a gloomy, overcast morning. However, the
weather could not dampen their spirits as they
proudly exited the plane to a mass of cheers and
welcome. As I stood there clapping, smiling, and
welcoming the Veterans off the flight, I took a
moment to consider how things had changed since
the last time they were welcomed off a plane in such
a manner. I wondered if all of them had been so
deservingly honored with a welcoming home from
their service. The smiles
on their faces and tears
in their eyes - most of
them would only admit to
allergies or "sweaty eyes"
- told me that this moment
was unlike any other for
the honored guests of the
capital. Read more...

ELNEC - For
Veterans Updated Curriculum
Now Available
The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium
(ELNEC) - For Veterans Project is a national endof-life educational program, funded by the US
Department of Veterans Affairs, administered by
City of Hope (COH) and the American Association
of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and designed to
educate nurses on how to provide better palliative
care for Veterans with life-threatening illnesses.
Read more...

https://www.wehonorveterans.org/sites/default/files/public/WHV_Newsletter_Fall2017.pdf https://www.wehonorveterans.org/sites/default/files/public/WHV_Newsletter_Fall2017.pdf https://www.wehonorveterans.org/sites/default/files/public/WHV_Newsletter_Fall2017.pdf https://www.wehonorveterans.org/sites/default/files/public/WHV_Newsletter_Fall2017.pdf

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NHPCO NewsLine Fall 2017