Sherry Campbell

Witnessing a growing tide of aging as well as recent veterans of war, Hospice of Chattanooga caregivers hope to offer comfort for those nearing the last stage of life who may not know what options are open to them.

"We see the situation becoming more necessary because the Vietnam veterans are getting older and needing end-of-life care," said Sherry Campbell, grant coordinator for Hospice of Chattanooga.

"Then we have young veterans coming back from this current war. ... It seems the situation is going to grow more intense over the next few years," she said.

Hospice of Chattanooga is one of 18 sites nationwide to receive a grant from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. The $25,000 grant, funded by the Veterans Administration, will allow Hospice to focus outreach efforts on veterans in rural Southeast Tennessee and homeless veterans, she said.

Another goal of the grant is to streamline the red tape for veterans trying to enroll in the Veterans Administration for the first time, which can take weeks. For terminally ill patients, those weeks are critical and should not be spent buried in paperwork, Ms. Campbell said.

Every month, more than 50,000 veterans die, and community hospices and palliative care -- which is focused on quality of life and alleviating discomfort -- often are not readily available in rural communities, where 40 percent of veterans enrolled in the Veterans Administration live, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Hospice of Chattanooga is working with Veterans Administration representatives in the area and the Homeless Health Care Center to spread awareness about VA benefit coverage for palliative care and what that care really means, Ms Campbell said.

Hospice caregivers can come into a patient's home, nursing home or hospital to provide palliative care, as opposed to treatments that seek to "cure," according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Veterans who are homeless often are the most difficult to reach, said Linda Katzman, health programs supervisor at the Homeless Health Care Center in Chattanooga. Mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder can make it overwhelming for veterans to be in a crowded waiting room, leading many veterans to avoid settings in which they would learn about the benefits available to them, Ms. Katzman said.

"Some of the veterans have pretty good outdoor skills, so some of them may be quite comfortable in a campsite or out in the country somewhere," she said. "We're hoping to be a better liaison for these folks and the Veterans Administration."

Discussing palliative care with younger veterans can be an ever greater challenge than broaching the topic with aging veterans, said Lisa Daniel, benefits counselor at the VA clinic in Chattanooga. She works for the nonprofit Disabled American Veterans.

"When you take somebody who's 70, 80 years old, you're prepared for this," she said. "When you're 25 you're not prepared for that. They don't know where to go. They don't know who to talk to."

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Veterans or their caregivers can call this hotline to find out how to access services for vets: 1-866-409-8294.

WHAT IS PALLIATIVE CARE?

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization defines palliative care as treatment that gives comfort and improves the quality of life during the last phase of life. Hospice caregivers and patients understand that the expected outcome of hospice is relief from distressing symptoms, the easing of pain or enhancing the quality of life. Patient needs continue to be assessed and all treatment options explored and evaluated based on the patient's symptoms.