How to Best Serve Military Veterans on Hospice

1 in 4 Medicare hospice patients is a U.S. military veteran.  End of life workers need to know how to take care of their special needs and enhance their quality of life.  It’s important for EOL teams to know the signs of PTSD and how to listen when these patients (and their caregivers!) are communicating what they need. Many military veterans experience trauma, guilt, and anger, causing what is identified as “soul injury”.  Having a soul injury or PTSD creates a need for specialized care.  Opus Peace has a great inventory tool for assessing whether someone has experienced a soul injury.   The Soul Inventory is available for free on the Opus Peace website.  You can access the Soul Injury Inventory here.   Every discipline on the hospice team, including the End of Life (or Death) Doula, brings skills that seriously ill and terminally ill veterans need.  The caregivers providing support for those veterans need support as well.  Those caregivers are advocates, coordinators, and spokespersons for the veterans they care about.      Find all the resources that Barbara Karnes has to offer at bkbooks.com. Purchase the End of Life Guideline Series Bundle here. Read Barbara’s blog here.  Connect with Barbara Karnes on social media:    Facebook    Insta     LinkedIn   Twitter   Pinterest  YouTube    Register for the Tree of Life Conference from the International Doula Life Movement here.  Want to know more about doulas, or connect with others who are doing death doula work?  Visit internationaldoulalifemovement.com.  If you’re interested in becoming a certified death doula through IDLM, click here. Access all the courses that IDLM provides here. See all the events that IDLM is offering by clicking here.   Connect with IDLM on social media.   Facebook    IG   YouTube  Hospice Navigation Services is here for you.  If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.   Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected]. Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)