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We Honor Veterans

Serving Those Who Served Us

We Honor Veterans is a project of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Launched in October 2010, We Honor Veterans is a pioneering initiative to improve the care Veterans receive from hospice and palliative care providers.

Prairie Home Hospice & Community Care is a Level III “We Honor Veterans” Partner.

Did you know?

1 out of every 4 dying Americans is a veteran.
Many of the 674,000 veterans who die each year are Medicare beneficiaries but aren’t aware of the Medicare hospice care benefit.
Veteran-to-Veteran Volunteer Program

Many community hospice providers have implemented an innovative model for serving Veterans at the end of life; the Veteran-to-Veteran Volunteer Program. The Veteran-to-Veteran Volunteer Program aims to pair recruited Veteran Volunteers with hospice patients who have been identified as Veterans. Once paired with hospice patients who also have military experience, Veteran Volunteers have the unique ability to relate and connect with each patient thereby creating an environment where life review and healing may occur. Establishing a Veteran-to-Veteran Volunteer Program is also a criterion for hospices accomplishing We Honor Veterans Partner Level Three. What is the importance of Veteran Volunteers?

Volunteers are essential to the delivery of quality hospice care.
Veterans are a part of a distinct culture with their own common language and experience.
When Veterans interact, their common language and experience can form a strong relational bond.
The camaraderie created between Veterans has proven to be supportive for all involved.
Honoring Veterans

America’s Veterans have done everything asked of them in their mission to serve our country and it is never too late to give them a hero’s welcome home. Hospice staff may provide the last opportunity for Veterans to feel that their service was not in vain, and that they are appreciated. Simple acts of gratitude at the end-of-life can make up for a lack of appreciation or recognition during the Veteran’s lifetime, especially for those Veterans who were never welcomed home or thanked for their service.

Prairie Home Hospice honors the veterans in our care by:

Thanking each veteran for their service.
Presenting each veteran with a small American flag to keep at their bedside.
Presenting each veteran's family with a Memorial Tribute book honoring their loved one's service.
Presenting each veteran with a pillow case that reflects the branch of service they served under.

Massage Therapy

Massage Therapy

A soothing massage can help you unwind, but that’s not all. If you’ve never tried massage, learn about its possible health benefits and what to expect during a massage therapy session.

Massage is generally considered part of complementary and alternative medicine. It’s increasingly being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations. Studies of the benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for:

Reducing stress
Reducing anxiety
Reducing pain
Reducing muscle tension

Pet Therapy

Therapy Dogs have been proven to bring joy while reducing feelings of isolation, alienation, anxiety and depression. They help take a patient’s mind off of aches and pains while encouraging communication. Visits with Therapy Dogs help break up the daily routine which encourages increased overall emotional wellness and helps stimulate the mind.

Check out what expert researchers hear from patients after a therapy dog visit:

Therapy dog visits are a welcome distraction from illness, symptoms, and worry
Therapy dogs have stable temperaments and friendly, easy-going personalities. They serve as a non-judgmental listener or a quiet friend.
Petting animals prompts the release of “feel good” hormones in humans, including serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin.
Visits with Therapy Dogs encourage conversation between Patients and their Families

Enjoying an animal’s company yields many physical health benefits for patients as well:

Helps reduce Physical Pain
Lowers Blood Pressure
Promotes an improved Heart Rate and general Cardiovascular Health
Increases overall Comfort Level

Meet Meena – Our Therapy Dog!

Aromatherapy

The ancient art of aromatherapy combines the therapeutic benefits of touch and smell. It is effective in dealing with many health issues that cause discomfort, helping to soothe and heal. It has gained popularity as a safe and effective complementary and alternative therapy.

Some of the benefits of aromatherapy include:

Managing pain
Reducing anxiety, fear, and depression
Increasing appetite
Promoting sleep at night
Improving skin quality, reducing skin tears and discomfort
Improving circulation
Aromatherapy

Music Therapy

Music Therapy is designed to perform several functions:

To direct attention away from pain or anxiety
To distract the listener with comforting music
To provide a musical stimulus that promotes rhythmic breathing
To offer a rhythmic structure for systematic release of body tension
To cue positive visual imagery
To condition a deep relaxation response
To change mood
To focus on positive thoughts and feelings and celebrate life

Reverie Harp

Reverie Harp

Never before has there been an instrument that so easily lends itself to such a wide variety of therapeutic situations. Designed and invented by Musicmakers in Stillwater, MN in collaboration with Australian music thanatologist Peter Roberts, the Reverie Harp is fast becoming a favorite for patients and care givers. Experience the sweet, soothing sounds on your own. No musical experience or training required!

Grief Support Services

At Prairie Home Hospice & Community Care, we recognize that grief is a natural, normal reaction when we experience loss. Each of us mourns the loss of a loved one differently. Mourning brings healing. Healing also requires support and understanding of others.

At Prairie Home Hospice & Community Care, we offer grief support and bereavement services including:

Bereavement services to anyone who may be experiencing loss
Grief support to students in the area
Informational and educational forums throughout the year related to terminal illness, hospice, chronic disease management, palliative care, health care directives, and other related topics.

Outreach & Consultations

Healthcare generally impacts every family in our community at one time or another. Navigating healthcare today can be intimidating, complicated and overwhelming. The decisions we make regarding our healthcare can be critical ones that impact our health, our lives, and even our death. Yet, as critical as those decisions may become at some point, many individuals and families are not prepared to make them. We have a tendency to put off hard questions about health, life and death because we don’t want to think about it – until we have to.

While healthcare impacts people of all ages, it can be especially confusing for seniors. Seniors are faced with more healthcare options and decisions than ever before, AND the population age 65 and older is and will continue to grow faster than any other demographic group in our community over the next 15 years. It is estimated that this population will grow by over 40% during the next 15 years, as baby boomers continue to age. What kind of services will they need? What kind of options will they have? Do they understand their options and choices? Will they have the information they need to make critical choices and decisions? Do they have the support they need to ensure that the choices they make are honored?

Prairie Home Hospice & Community Care provides free consultation services that can help individuals and families navigate through all the information, options, systems, processes, etc. they are faced with, when making important health care decisions.

Five Wishes: Five Wishes is an easy-to-use legal advance directive document written in everyday language. It helps all adults, regardless of age or health, to consider and document how they want to be cared for at the end of life. It is America’s most popular living will with more than 30 million copies in circulation. Five Wishes is unique among all other living will and health agent forms because it speaks to all of a person's needs: medical, personal, emotional and spiritual. Five Wishes also helps to guide and structure discussions with your family and physician, making conversations easier.
Five Wishes is also available in an electronic version.
Five Wishes documents are legally valid in almost all states. Some states require specific additional forms or mandatory notices. If you live in one of these states, you can still use Five Wishes to help guide the conversation and put your wishes in writing, and you can attach the additional required forms.
FIVE WISHES ONLINE