LeadingAge New York Adviser Winter Vol. 1 | Page 48

We Honor Veterans
More than one-quarter of all Americans who pass away this year will be
veterans of our Nation’s armed services. Nearly 1,600 veterans die every day,
and in this year alone, more of them will die than did during all four years
of the Second World War. These heroic Americans deserve recognition for
their military service – particularly at the end of life’s journey.
The Hospice & Palliative Care Association of NYS, along with our New York
State VA partners, is supporting an on-going program from the National
Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA). We Honor Veterans is a pioneering campaign to help improve
the care Veterans receive from hospice and palliative care providers. The
needs of veterans are far more complicated than most people realize. Did
you know:
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Nearly 40 percent of enrolled veterans live in areas that are considered
rural, where VA palliative care programs are not readily available.
On any given night more than 107,000 veterans are without shelter and
lack basic healthcare.
Veterans age 18 to 25 are more likely than older veterans to have higher
rates of substance abuse disorder.
The United States National Comorbidity Survey Replication found
that the estimated lifetime prevalence of post traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) among Vietnam Veterans was 30.9 percent for men
and 29.6 percent for women.
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Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Winter 2015