November 10, 2023 • 24 mins
In this episode, host Ashton Jones and guest Linda Simon, hospice liaison at Compassus, dive into caring for our aging Veteran population, as well as navigating Veterans organizations like the VA. Linda details her passion for taking care of Veterans and shares a personal story about a patient that sticks with her to this day.
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Episode Transcript
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Ashton Jones (00:05):
Hi everyone, I'm Ashton Jones and this is
homeless where the health is.
This podcast brings you thelatest news on progress and
innovation in the home basedhealthcare space in association
with compasses. At the end ofthe day, every person deserves
to be cared for with compassion.
Whether they're recovering athome, dealing with a serious
(00:26):
illness or nearing the end oflife, and in the place they call
home no less. That's why everymonth we feature different
subject matter experts, and wedive deep into how their work is
improving home based health carefor patients. In today's
episode, we're discussing caringfor aging veterans, as well as
navigating the VA and otherveterans organizations with our
(00:49):
guest Linda Simon, hospiceliaison at compasses. And don't
miss Linda's touching encounterwith a veteran patient whose
story sticks with her to thisday. There's all that more
coming up on Home is where thehelp is.
(01:13):
Hey, everyone, welcome back toHome is where the health is.
We're so glad you decided totune into this month's episode.
And I'm honored to introduce ourguest, Linda Simon. She's a
compassionate hospice liaison.
It compasses, who has a passionfor taking care of our aging
veterans. Linda, thank you somuch for taking the time to be
here this morning. How are youdoing?
Linda Simon (01:36):
I'm doing great.
It's a beautiful day here inFort Washington, Pennsylvania.
And, you know, it's been a goodweek. So I'm thrilled to be
here. Thank you.
Ashton Jones (01:46):
I'm glad to hear that. Yeah. So once again, it's
great to have you here. And Iwant to start off today's
episode the way that we alwaysdo. And that's by giving our
listeners a little moreinformation about you. So where
do you want to start?
Linda Simon (01:59):
Well, I'm married.
I have two daughters. They areboth starting to have children.
So I'm becoming a grandma. Ican't even believe I'm saying
that. But it's it really is.
It's pretty awesome.
Ashton Jones (02:17):
And what about professionally? What is your
background look like?
Linda Simon (02:21):
Well, professionally, the absolutely
awesome thing is that I've beenable to take my background of
what I've done in the past, anduse pretty much all of it in the
job that I have now. I have donetraining, I worked at a computer
company. I also have done sales.
And I've also worked at an adagency for seven and a half
(02:46):
years. And actually, whathappened was, my husband had a
friend whose mother worked atanother hospice company. She
said to me, Linda, you would bea perfect fit for hospice. I
said, Well, I know I certainlywould consider it, it was a
(03:10):
marketing position. And Idecided, Okay, I'll do an
interview. And the position wasa veteran liaison position. So I
looked at the description, and Iwent, Oh, wow, I would really
love to do that. I came from avery patriotic family. And, you
(03:31):
know, we just were raised tohave respect for those who
served. That's kind of how Istarted. I did that for three
years. And then someone who Iworked with at that company came
to life choice, which compassesbought. And then took a little
coaxing because I was prettycomfortable where I was. But I,
(03:55):
I made the switch. And I've beenhere 10 and a half year or 10.
They've actually just had my10th anniversary here, October
22. So that's my journey intothis role.
Ashton Jones (04:14):
Well, on that note, let's go ahead and jump
into our first main topic of theday, which is about caring for
aging veterans. So Linda, canyou start off right at the
beginning by talking about whycompasses has a veteran's
program?
Linda Simon (04:29):
That is a really, really good question. And, you
know, first it starts with theheart. It starts with passion.
Because if if you have theconnection between who the
veteran is, what that person hasdone, so that we can have the
(04:49):
freedom that we have in thiscountry to do what we do here,
without any concerns of thegovernment or Whatever, you
know, we have freedom of speech,we have freedom of everything
that we value. And when weagain, value that freedom, then
(05:12):
you want to sank, respect andhonor those who have given us
and sacrificed for that freedom.
That is the why we do what wedo.
Ashton Jones (05:28):
Yeah. And in that process, how crucial is
collaboration of care to aveteran patients success?
Linda Simon (05:37):
Well, I would say that it's critical. The reason
is because we're talking about awhole person. We're talking as
we do in hospice, we're talkingabout psychosocial, we're
talking about clinical, we'retalking about spiritual. And
we're talking about, you know,family dynamics, we're talking
(06:02):
about a lot of different facetsof the people and the families
that we are supporting. And withthat, we have many veterans who
we take care of, that arereferred to us by the VA, the VA
(06:23):
Medical Center, specifically. Soveterans who are affiliated with
a VA Medical Center,concurrently, while they're on
hospice, are still going to theVA for care. And for us to be
able to collaborate with the VAdoctors, and other social
(06:48):
workers and other staff who aretaking care of that veteran,
along with our staff. Thatpartnership, is the best kind of
collaboration of care that wecan show that veteran, we have
relationships with the VA thatwe've had for many, many years.
(07:10):
They're experts in symptomsrelated to treatment, we're
experts in symptoms related toend of life. So when we can
collaborate together, we candiscern then which of those
symptoms, how those symptomsrather, should be treated?
(07:30):
Because then we know the source.
So that is going to give abetter quality of life, and a
better outcome for that veteranand the family. Linda,
Ashton Jones (07:42):
can you talk a little bit about the we honor
veterans programs and how thosecan really help families and
patients in need.
Linda Simon (07:52):
We honor veterans is a part of NH PCO national
Hospice and Palliative CareOrganization. So we at compasses
are using the we honor veteransprogram to be able to learn as
much as we can about how toserve our veterans. It gives us
(08:17):
an opportunity because of theresources available through we
honor veterans to be able toeducate our staff to be able to
provide education in thecommunity with regards to how
the VA Medical Centers work, andalso how to get VA benefits. And
(08:39):
what end of life care looks likefor veterans. So there's a lot
of education available throughwe honor veterans and
presentations that can be usedto you know, give to those
various groups. So, um, thereare levels that need to be
achieved within that program.
But we have learned through wehonor veterans, how to be able
(09:05):
to better care for thatpopulation.
Ashton Jones (09:12):
Definitely. Can you talk a little bit about
honoring and recognizing ourveteran patients, because I know
that's such an important part,keeping up morale and showing
that we really care about theirwell being?
Linda Simon (09:27):
Oh, it's really awesome. It's a privilege to be
able to honor our veterans atevery opportunity that we can.
As an example, we had a veteranwho worked at Boeing aircraft in
the greater Philadelphia area,and he worked there for 35
(09:49):
years, and they builthelicopters. So every year they
had a lottery and if you won thelottery, you got a ride on one
Under the helicopters, well,this, this guy had never won the
lottery. So we decided, whatwould be great for him is to
(10:09):
work with our local smallairport and get him a 30 minute
ride on a helicopter. And thisis what we did. He got in the
helicopter, they did their 30minute ride, he came back, he
looked at us waiting on thetarmac, turned around and lifted
(10:30):
up his thumb. Like, this wasawesome, I can tell you that
that was so meaningful for boththe veteran and his son, to have
that memory. In fact, thenursing home administrator where
this veteran patient resided, Imet him at another facility
(10:57):
about two years later. And Iintroduced myself told him I was
from compasses. And he said,Wait a minute, did you take Mr.
So and so on that helicopterride, that was an instant bond
with that administrator. So kindof went full circle?
Ashton Jones (11:20):
Well, we're gonna take a quick break from our main
discussion to share a story withyou. And the reason we want to
spend time on a single story isbecause when you're looking at
the big picture, it's so easy toforget about all the people
impacted by this work. And atthe end of the day, it's all
about touching a life. So beforewe get started, I did ask Linda
(11:40):
to come prepared with a story toshare with all of you something
that has impacted her bothprofessionally and personally.
So Linda, your story relates toa veteran patient, is that
right?
Linda Simon (11:52):
It is right? I think this particular Marine,
he'll always stay in my heart.
He was a guy who lived in askilled nursing facility. And he
was a tough Marine. Any time anyof the staff there would come
(12:13):
into his room, he would look athis watch. And he would say, you
should have been in here aminute ago. So here he is, he's
our patient. And the rumors fromthe facility about him were like
good luck, because he is reallydifficult. So my colleague and I
(12:37):
visited this veteran. And as wegot to know him, we saw and
heard from him that what causedthis angry expression on his
face, stemmed from he had losthis wife, he had lost his son,
(12:59):
who had actually been killed inthe military. And he had lost
his independence, his ability tomove because now he was bed
bound. And those losses allhappened within an 18 month
period. So this added to hisPTSD, his need to control and
(13:22):
his toughness. So we decided topresent him with a certificate.
Our whole entire team came in mycolleague, and myself were next
to him in his bed, and wepresented him with his
(13:43):
certificate. And when we read tohim, everything that was on the
certificate, thanked him for hisservice saluted him. And if I
could tell you the tears thatflowed from his eyes when he saw
and felt the recognition and thehonor that we were all giving
(14:07):
him, despite how he had beentreating all of us, yeah, that
touched his soul. That was aparadigm shift within him, of I
can trust these people. Theycare about me, that was a
(14:29):
turning point in us being ableto care for him, for the staff
to be able to care for him atthe facility. And I'm thankful
that we had the opportunity tohave that experience. It was
powerful.
Ashton Jones (14:48):
Yeah, that's amazing. And a great message for
anyone, you know, to be able tofind peace and Well, thank you
for sharing that story. I I wantto continue our discussion by
now moving into the VA and otherveterans organizations. So the
first question I have for youoff the bat is, I'm sure there
(15:12):
are some listeners who aren'tvery familiar with the VA, or
veterans benefits or otherorganizations in general. So
what are a few things that ourlisteners need to know?
Linda Simon (15:25):
Well, I could start out with two things. One is I
would say that all the A's arenot alike. Just because you
know, one VA does not mean youknow, all vas, that is an
important thing to remember. Andthen, the second thing to
(15:48):
remember is that there are twoparts of the VA, if you take the
VA, you can divide it intohealth care services, which are
provided by the VA medicalcenters, and financial benefits,
(16:09):
money that is applied forthrough the Veterans Benefits
Administration. So kind of inour minds, we have to separate
money through the VA fromservices, health care services,
right. So once, once we do that,then through health care
(16:30):
services at the VA medicalcenters, a veteran has to be
registered there to receivethose services, cardiology,
nephrology, oncology, all thesespecialists, depending on the VA
that's closest to the veteran.
There are many other services aswell, prosthetics, if there are
(16:53):
items at home that are needed,wheelchair ramps, stair chairs,
you know, things other than thekind of prosthetics that we
think of, you know, those thingsare available through the VA,
primary care, primary carethrough the VA is something that
(17:17):
you can have, in addition toyour own community, PCP, because
just staying current with yourVA PCP gives you access to these
kinds of services. Also, what wedeal with a lot of end of life
in terms of benefits, is aid andattendance, aid and attendance
(17:41):
is a benefit applied for again,through the Veterans Benefits
Administration. And if you meetthe income and asset limits, as
well as the activities of dailyliving, then if the veteran of
either you know, himself or thespouse of a veteran, that
(18:07):
benefit is for either theveteran spouse or surviving
spouse. So, to that, I just wantto say that, you know, they look
at activities of daily living,and how many of those are
necessary to be able to beeligible for the benefit, and
(18:28):
also income and assets. So, theveteran had to have served, you
know, one day during a period ofwar and a minimum of 90 days
active duty. So once those kindsof things have been satisfied,
they can apply. And that again,can give a veteran, a spouse or
a surviving spouse, money. Youknow, sometimes both the veteran
(18:53):
and spouse need aid andattendance, money, but it pays
for all out of pocket medicalexpenses. So if the veteran or
the spouse are at home, it willhelp them be able to, let's say
hire a private duty home healthaide. If the veteran is in an
assisted living facility as anexample, it can offset the
(19:17):
monthly amount they're paying tothe assisted living facility or
personal care facility. So it'sreally, really important that we
are knowledgeable, which many ofour programs are as to the
benefits that are available forthe veteran or his spouse or
(19:38):
surviving spouse.
Ashton Jones (19:44):
Yeah, along those lines, our team definitely kind
of acts as an advocate forveteran patients. Right. And so
can you give an example of whatthat might look like in one of
our programs?
Linda Simon (19:59):
Yes, oh, M advocacy is something that is a way for
us to be able to show thatveteran and family, we value
what you did for us. Now whatwe're going to do is any way
that we can advocate for you, weare honored to be able to do so.
(20:20):
I've had many veterans that say,Hey, I'm getting this bill, for
from the VA for this medication,and I never used to pay for it.
Why am I getting this bill? So Ifound out that this family was
hanging for the past two months,$700 a month for these eyedrops.
(20:41):
Wow. So I went into theophthalmology department at the
VA. I said, you know, this iswhat's going on? What happened?
Guess what, the ophthalmologistjust needed to write a new
script, the refill had run out.
Right away, the nursepractitioner put in the request
for the new script. And guesswhat? They started getting their
(21:04):
medications again, I was able toadvocate for that veteran and
family. And they no longer hadto pay 700 bucks a month. Yes
and a lot of money.
Ashton Jones (21:18):
I'm sure that made a big difference.
Linda Simon (21:19):
It certainly did.
And you know, that's justanother example of having access
into a VA as a compasses programenables us to be able to do
things that someone else mightnot be able to do. And they're
dealing with enough at end oflife, the families and the
veterans, they don't need toalso have to have any kind of
(21:42):
frustration, or anything elsethat interrupts and intersects
their life in a negative way.
Ashton Jones (21:51):
Well, before we wrap up our conversation today,
what are the things that youwant to leave our listeners
with? And what do you hope thatthey take away from this
conversation?
Linda Simon (22:03):
I would say that one Our veterans deserve
everything that we can do forthem. Our freedom isn't free.
And this is why and this is whatit costs. And we need to be
there. For these men and womenwho sacrificed. That's the first
thing I would say. Second is asa result of that we provide
(22:28):
education and training in thecommunity as well. Because there
are so many available benefitsand resources for our veteran
patients and families. And thatsometimes they would not know
about any of this. If we didn'ttell them. And nothing is too
(22:52):
small. It's easy to see aveteran on an elevator wearing
his hat or her hat. And you say,Oh, thank you so much for
serving our country. Thank youso much for the freedom. That's
a simple little thing that wecan all do. Yeah, it means a
tremendous amount. And the morewe learn about the VA, the
(23:18):
benefits that are availableresources in the community, the
more we can also make adifference in someone's life.
Ashton Jones (23:33):
Well, that brings us to the end of this episode of
Home is where the help is. Todaywe talked about caring for aging
veterans as well as navigatingveterans organizations. Linda, I
want to thank you for being ourguest and sharing such
insightful information onveteran initiatives at
compasses. For listeners, wehope you found today's topics
(23:54):
are interesting and informative.
If you're looking for veteransservices to support your family
or others, we encourage you tocheck out the VA caregiver
support program. It offersclinical services to caregivers
of eligible and covered veteransenrolled in the VA Health Care
System. If you liked today'sepisode and you're listening on
a streaming service, go aheadand give us a like and a follow
(24:16):
and be sure to tune in nextmonth for another in depth
discussion on innovation in thehome based care space with one
of our experts. Until then, thisis Ashton Jones with Home is
where the health is. Thanks forlistening
Hi everyone, I'm Ashton Jones and this is
homeless where the health is.
This podcast brings you thelatest news on progress and
innovation in the home basedhealthcare space in association
with compasses. At the end ofthe day, every person deserves
to be cared for with compassion.
Whether they're recovering athome, dealing with a serious
(00:26):
illness or nearing the end oflife, and in the place they call
home no less. That's why everymonth we feature different
subject matter experts, and wedive deep into how their work is
improving home based health carefor patients. In today's
episode, we're discussing caringfor aging veterans, as well as
navigating the VA and otherveterans organizations with our
(00:49):
guest Linda Simon, hospiceliaison at compasses. And don't
miss Linda's touching encounterwith a veteran patient whose
story sticks with her to thisday. There's all that more
coming up on Home is where thehelp is.
(01:13):
Hey, everyone, welcome back toHome is where the health is.
We're so glad you decided totune into this month's episode.
And I'm honored to introduce ourguest, Linda Simon. She's a
compassionate hospice liaison.
It compasses, who has a passionfor taking care of our aging
veterans. Linda, thank you somuch for taking the time to be
here this morning. How are youdoing?
Linda Simon (01:36):
I'm doing great.
It's a beautiful day here inFort Washington, Pennsylvania.
And, you know, it's been a goodweek. So I'm thrilled to be
here. Thank you.
Ashton Jones (01:46):
I'm glad to hear that. Yeah. So once again, it's
great to have you here. And Iwant to start off today's
episode the way that we alwaysdo. And that's by giving our
listeners a little moreinformation about you. So where
do you want to start?
Linda Simon (01:59):
Well, I'm married.
I have two daughters. They areboth starting to have children.
So I'm becoming a grandma. Ican't even believe I'm saying
that. But it's it really is.
It's pretty awesome.
Ashton Jones (02:17):
And what about professionally? What is your
background look like?
Linda Simon (02:21):
Well, professionally, the absolutely
awesome thing is that I've beenable to take my background of
what I've done in the past, anduse pretty much all of it in the
job that I have now. I have donetraining, I worked at a computer
company. I also have done sales.
And I've also worked at an adagency for seven and a half
(02:46):
years. And actually, whathappened was, my husband had a
friend whose mother worked atanother hospice company. She
said to me, Linda, you would bea perfect fit for hospice. I
said, Well, I know I certainlywould consider it, it was a
(03:10):
marketing position. And Idecided, Okay, I'll do an
interview. And the position wasa veteran liaison position. So I
looked at the description, and Iwent, Oh, wow, I would really
love to do that. I came from avery patriotic family. And, you
(03:31):
know, we just were raised tohave respect for those who
served. That's kind of how Istarted. I did that for three
years. And then someone who Iworked with at that company came
to life choice, which compassesbought. And then took a little
coaxing because I was prettycomfortable where I was. But I,
(03:55):
I made the switch. And I've beenhere 10 and a half year or 10.
They've actually just had my10th anniversary here, October
22. So that's my journey intothis role.
Ashton Jones (04:14):
Well, on that note, let's go ahead and jump
into our first main topic of theday, which is about caring for
aging veterans. So Linda, canyou start off right at the
beginning by talking about whycompasses has a veteran's
program?
Linda Simon (04:29):
That is a really, really good question. And, you
know, first it starts with theheart. It starts with passion.
Because if if you have theconnection between who the
veteran is, what that person hasdone, so that we can have the
(04:49):
freedom that we have in thiscountry to do what we do here,
without any concerns of thegovernment or Whatever, you
know, we have freedom of speech,we have freedom of everything
that we value. And when weagain, value that freedom, then
(05:12):
you want to sank, respect andhonor those who have given us
and sacrificed for that freedom.
That is the why we do what wedo.
Ashton Jones (05:28):
Yeah. And in that process, how crucial is
collaboration of care to aveteran patients success?
Linda Simon (05:37):
Well, I would say that it's critical. The reason
is because we're talking about awhole person. We're talking as
we do in hospice, we're talkingabout psychosocial, we're
talking about clinical, we'retalking about spiritual. And
we're talking about, you know,family dynamics, we're talking
(06:02):
about a lot of different facetsof the people and the families
that we are supporting. And withthat, we have many veterans who
we take care of, that arereferred to us by the VA, the VA
(06:23):
Medical Center, specifically. Soveterans who are affiliated with
a VA Medical Center,concurrently, while they're on
hospice, are still going to theVA for care. And for us to be
able to collaborate with the VAdoctors, and other social
(06:48):
workers and other staff who aretaking care of that veteran,
along with our staff. Thatpartnership, is the best kind of
collaboration of care that wecan show that veteran, we have
relationships with the VA thatwe've had for many, many years.
(07:10):
They're experts in symptomsrelated to treatment, we're
experts in symptoms related toend of life. So when we can
collaborate together, we candiscern then which of those
symptoms, how those symptomsrather, should be treated?
(07:30):
Because then we know the source.
So that is going to give abetter quality of life, and a
better outcome for that veteranand the family. Linda,
Ashton Jones (07:42):
can you talk a little bit about the we honor
veterans programs and how thosecan really help families and
patients in need.
Linda Simon (07:52):
We honor veterans is a part of NH PCO national
Hospice and Palliative CareOrganization. So we at compasses
are using the we honor veteransprogram to be able to learn as
much as we can about how toserve our veterans. It gives us
(08:17):
an opportunity because of theresources available through we
honor veterans to be able toeducate our staff to be able to
provide education in thecommunity with regards to how
the VA Medical Centers work, andalso how to get VA benefits. And
(08:39):
what end of life care looks likefor veterans. So there's a lot
of education available throughwe honor veterans and
presentations that can be usedto you know, give to those
various groups. So, um, thereare levels that need to be
achieved within that program.
But we have learned through wehonor veterans, how to be able
(09:05):
to better care for thatpopulation.
Ashton Jones (09:12):
Definitely. Can you talk a little bit about
honoring and recognizing ourveteran patients, because I know
that's such an important part,keeping up morale and showing
that we really care about theirwell being?
Linda Simon (09:27):
Oh, it's really awesome. It's a privilege to be
able to honor our veterans atevery opportunity that we can.
As an example, we had a veteranwho worked at Boeing aircraft in
the greater Philadelphia area,and he worked there for 35
(09:49):
years, and they builthelicopters. So every year they
had a lottery and if you won thelottery, you got a ride on one
Under the helicopters, well,this, this guy had never won the
lottery. So we decided, whatwould be great for him is to
(10:09):
work with our local smallairport and get him a 30 minute
ride on a helicopter. And thisis what we did. He got in the
helicopter, they did their 30minute ride, he came back, he
looked at us waiting on thetarmac, turned around and lifted
(10:30):
up his thumb. Like, this wasawesome, I can tell you that
that was so meaningful for boththe veteran and his son, to have
that memory. In fact, thenursing home administrator where
this veteran patient resided, Imet him at another facility
(10:57):
about two years later. And Iintroduced myself told him I was
from compasses. And he said,Wait a minute, did you take Mr.
So and so on that helicopterride, that was an instant bond
with that administrator. So kindof went full circle?
Ashton Jones (11:20):
Well, we're gonna take a quick break from our main
discussion to share a story withyou. And the reason we want to
spend time on a single story isbecause when you're looking at
the big picture, it's so easy toforget about all the people
impacted by this work. And atthe end of the day, it's all
about touching a life. So beforewe get started, I did ask Linda
(11:40):
to come prepared with a story toshare with all of you something
that has impacted her bothprofessionally and personally.
So Linda, your story relates toa veteran patient, is that
right?
Linda Simon (11:52):
It is right? I think this particular Marine,
he'll always stay in my heart.
He was a guy who lived in askilled nursing facility. And he
was a tough Marine. Any time anyof the staff there would come
(12:13):
into his room, he would look athis watch. And he would say, you
should have been in here aminute ago. So here he is, he's
our patient. And the rumors fromthe facility about him were like
good luck, because he is reallydifficult. So my colleague and I
(12:37):
visited this veteran. And as wegot to know him, we saw and
heard from him that what causedthis angry expression on his
face, stemmed from he had losthis wife, he had lost his son,
(12:59):
who had actually been killed inthe military. And he had lost
his independence, his ability tomove because now he was bed
bound. And those losses allhappened within an 18 month
period. So this added to hisPTSD, his need to control and
(13:22):
his toughness. So we decided topresent him with a certificate.
Our whole entire team came in mycolleague, and myself were next
to him in his bed, and wepresented him with his
(13:43):
certificate. And when we read tohim, everything that was on the
certificate, thanked him for hisservice saluted him. And if I
could tell you the tears thatflowed from his eyes when he saw
and felt the recognition and thehonor that we were all giving
(14:07):
him, despite how he had beentreating all of us, yeah, that
touched his soul. That was aparadigm shift within him, of I
can trust these people. Theycare about me, that was a
(14:29):
turning point in us being ableto care for him, for the staff
to be able to care for him atthe facility. And I'm thankful
that we had the opportunity tohave that experience. It was
powerful.
Ashton Jones (14:48):
Yeah, that's amazing. And a great message for
anyone, you know, to be able tofind peace and Well, thank you
for sharing that story. I I wantto continue our discussion by
now moving into the VA and otherveterans organizations. So the
first question I have for youoff the bat is, I'm sure there
(15:12):
are some listeners who aren'tvery familiar with the VA, or
veterans benefits or otherorganizations in general. So
what are a few things that ourlisteners need to know?
Linda Simon (15:25):
Well, I could start out with two things. One is I
would say that all the A's arenot alike. Just because you
know, one VA does not mean youknow, all vas, that is an
important thing to remember. Andthen, the second thing to
(15:48):
remember is that there are twoparts of the VA, if you take the
VA, you can divide it intohealth care services, which are
provided by the VA medicalcenters, and financial benefits,
(16:09):
money that is applied forthrough the Veterans Benefits
Administration. So kind of inour minds, we have to separate
money through the VA fromservices, health care services,
right. So once, once we do that,then through health care
(16:30):
services at the VA medicalcenters, a veteran has to be
registered there to receivethose services, cardiology,
nephrology, oncology, all thesespecialists, depending on the VA
that's closest to the veteran.
There are many other services aswell, prosthetics, if there are
(16:53):
items at home that are needed,wheelchair ramps, stair chairs,
you know, things other than thekind of prosthetics that we
think of, you know, those thingsare available through the VA,
primary care, primary carethrough the VA is something that
(17:17):
you can have, in addition toyour own community, PCP, because
just staying current with yourVA PCP gives you access to these
kinds of services. Also, what wedeal with a lot of end of life
in terms of benefits, is aid andattendance, aid and attendance
(17:41):
is a benefit applied for again,through the Veterans Benefits
Administration. And if you meetthe income and asset limits, as
well as the activities of dailyliving, then if the veteran of
either you know, himself or thespouse of a veteran, that
(18:07):
benefit is for either theveteran spouse or surviving
spouse. So, to that, I just wantto say that, you know, they look
at activities of daily living,and how many of those are
necessary to be able to beeligible for the benefit, and
(18:28):
also income and assets. So, theveteran had to have served, you
know, one day during a period ofwar and a minimum of 90 days
active duty. So once those kindsof things have been satisfied,
they can apply. And that again,can give a veteran, a spouse or
a surviving spouse, money. Youknow, sometimes both the veteran
(18:53):
and spouse need aid andattendance, money, but it pays
for all out of pocket medicalexpenses. So if the veteran or
the spouse are at home, it willhelp them be able to, let's say
hire a private duty home healthaide. If the veteran is in an
assisted living facility as anexample, it can offset the
(19:17):
monthly amount they're paying tothe assisted living facility or
personal care facility. So it'sreally, really important that we
are knowledgeable, which many ofour programs are as to the
benefits that are available forthe veteran or his spouse or
(19:38):
surviving spouse.
Ashton Jones (19:44):
Yeah, along those lines, our team definitely kind
of acts as an advocate forveteran patients. Right. And so
can you give an example of whatthat might look like in one of
our programs?
Linda Simon (19:59):
Yes, oh, M advocacy is something that is a way for
us to be able to show thatveteran and family, we value
what you did for us. Now whatwe're going to do is any way
that we can advocate for you, weare honored to be able to do so.
(20:20):
I've had many veterans that say,Hey, I'm getting this bill, for
from the VA for this medication,and I never used to pay for it.
Why am I getting this bill? So Ifound out that this family was
hanging for the past two months,$700 a month for these eyedrops.
(20:41):
Wow. So I went into theophthalmology department at the
VA. I said, you know, this iswhat's going on? What happened?
Guess what, the ophthalmologistjust needed to write a new
script, the refill had run out.
Right away, the nursepractitioner put in the request
for the new script. And guesswhat? They started getting their
(21:04):
medications again, I was able toadvocate for that veteran and
family. And they no longer hadto pay 700 bucks a month. Yes
and a lot of money.
Ashton Jones (21:18):
I'm sure that made a big difference.
Linda Simon (21:19):
It certainly did.
And you know, that's justanother example of having access
into a VA as a compasses programenables us to be able to do
things that someone else mightnot be able to do. And they're
dealing with enough at end oflife, the families and the
veterans, they don't need toalso have to have any kind of
(21:42):
frustration, or anything elsethat interrupts and intersects
their life in a negative way.
Ashton Jones (21:51):
Well, before we wrap up our conversation today,
what are the things that youwant to leave our listeners
with? And what do you hope thatthey take away from this
conversation?
Linda Simon (22:03):
I would say that one Our veterans deserve
everything that we can do forthem. Our freedom isn't free.
And this is why and this is whatit costs. And we need to be
there. For these men and womenwho sacrificed. That's the first
thing I would say. Second is asa result of that we provide
(22:28):
education and training in thecommunity as well. Because there
are so many available benefitsand resources for our veteran
patients and families. And thatsometimes they would not know
about any of this. If we didn'ttell them. And nothing is too
(22:52):
small. It's easy to see aveteran on an elevator wearing
his hat or her hat. And you say,Oh, thank you so much for
serving our country. Thank youso much for the freedom. That's
a simple little thing that wecan all do. Yeah, it means a
tremendous amount. And the morewe learn about the VA, the
(23:18):
benefits that are availableresources in the community, the
more we can also make adifference in someone's life.
Ashton Jones (23:33):
Well, that brings us to the end of this episode of
Home is where the help is. Todaywe talked about caring for aging
veterans as well as navigatingveterans organizations. Linda, I
want to thank you for being ourguest and sharing such
insightful information onveteran initiatives at
compasses. For listeners, wehope you found today's topics
(23:54):
are interesting and informative.
If you're looking for veteransservices to support your family
or others, we encourage you tocheck out the VA caregiver
support program. It offersclinical services to caregivers
of eligible and covered veteransenrolled in the VA Health Care
System. If you liked today'sepisode and you're listening on
a streaming service, go aheadand give us a like and a follow
(24:16):
and be sure to tune in nextmonth for another in depth
discussion on innovation in thehome based care space with one
of our experts. Until then, thisis Ashton Jones with Home is
where the health is. Thanks forlistening
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