News

How Cornerstone Hospice Serves Veterans

What's so special about the Veteran's end-of-life experience?

  • Military culture and training influences a soldier's life and death (Battlemind)
  • War may leave men and women with physical and mental wounds
  • Posttraumatic stress symptoms may surface at end of life
  • Military experiences and relationships may also be a source of strength and comfort

In 2011 as much as 740 WWII vets died each day (270,000 total)

Another 248,000 are expected to die in 2012

Cornerstone SALUTES! Program honors and brings veterans' lives in service full circle with compassion and care they uniquely need.

Overview Veteran Stats:

  • One out of every four Americans who die is a Veteran.
  • Eighty-five percent of veterans do not receive care through the VA healthcare system.
  • Most veterans die in the community in which they live…Cornerstone Hospice provides these veterans services in their communities.

Unique Health Risks of Veterans
1.            Mental health issues including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

2.            Traumatic brain or spinal cord injury

3.            Traumatic amputation

4.            Combined penetrating, blunt trauma, and burn injuries (blast injuries)

5.            Environmental hazards, i.e., exposure to contamination, severe sand/dust storms, etc.

6.            Infectious disease

7.            Cold injury, i.e., frostbite, etc.

What Cornerstone SALUTES! Offers:

  • We Honor Veterans program is focused on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgement.  By recognizing their unique needs, we can learn how to accompany and guide America's Veterans and their families through their life stories toward a more peaceful ending.

  • Cornerstone SALUTES! is a comprehensive hospice program respectfully celebrating veterans' service to our country, at home and abroad, and providing care that recognizes the challenges unique to military families.

  • Staff specially trained by a national VA expert to meet the unique needs of our veterans taking into consideration which war they were in, what conditions of that war created diseases and illnesses from i.e. nuclear testing.  Needs by war or trauma.  Service-related diseases, illnesses, and conditions.

  • A tailor-made Pinning Ceremony for the veteran patient and family by a veteran member of our staff or a veteran volunteer. A special pin and a Certificate of Appreciation are presented to the patient.

  • Veteran stories and/or legacies recorded by trained volunteers who can submit the story to the Veterans History Project, Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

  • Annual Journey of Remembrance offered exclusively for veterans' families to pin, thank and honor them for their part in helping to keep America free: "A soldier does not fight alone ... it is a family effort."

  • Support groups held in coordination with other veteran support groups to supplement their services.

Veteran Volunteers:

Are you a veteran who wants to help other vets with their end-of-life care?  We are always in need of people like you who have the experience and understanding that these vets went through, and who can be a great help and comfort to our vet patients.  Please visit our website www.cornerstonehospice.org and click "Get Involved" for further details on volunteering.

Since 1984, Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care provide care and services to American veterans experiencing life-limiting illnesses.  Now Cornerstone Hospice is enhancing that care with Cornerstone SALUTES!  Cornerstone SALUTES! is a Level Two Partner with the We Honor Veterans program with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.