MEMERSHIP MEETING AND PROGRAM

Program by COL Claude Shmid, USA (Ret) on the “Last Patrol”. The Last Patrol connects veteran volunteers to veterans in hospice. They cooperate with medical providers of hospice care to connect volunteers to the patients so that their last patrol isn’t alone. It’s hard to overestimate the importance of friendship during end-of-life care. Last Patrol brings new friendships when friendship matters most. When America’s veterans go into hospice care they often lose contact with family, friends, and with the military community. Some are alone. Some sit quietly in nursing homes. Many families are loving and attentive to their hospice patient, but appreciate getting the support, connection, and information that a friend from the military community can provide. Last Patrol helps provide that support. NOTE: At one time there was a similar program here in Roanoke, Affinity Care of Virginia, a hospice organization operating out of the Roanoke area. The Southwest Virginia Chapter was requested to participate in the “We Honor Veterans Program”, a partnership between the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The program offers care for veteran-specific physical or emotional issues that may arise near the end of life. In January 2023 Affinity Care of Virginia approached the Southwest Virginia Chapter to participate in a large “Pinning Ceremony” at Richfield Living-The Health Center-Salem Campus. They had 7 veterans who they were honoring, representing the Air Force, Army, and National Guard. I do not know if that program is still in existence. There is also here in Southwest Virginia a program, “Honor Flight” that takes veterans for a day of honor in our nation’s capital.​