Palliative Care for Veterans

Abstract

This chapter discusses specific aspects of palliative care related to veterans who are living with serious illness and those at end of life. Veterans of any country can be considered a special population because of their sacrifice and service to their nation, regardless of whether they served after volunteering or being drafted. This chapter, however, concentrates on veterans of the United States Armed Forces and profiles Vietnam-era veterans, who are the largest living cohort of veterans over age 65. The end-of-life experiences of post-Vietnam veterans have not been systematically studied and therefore not discussed extensively except to make readers aware of the person’s potential veteran status and to alert social workers to remain informed of veteran-specific resources to help that individual. Similarly, the experiences of veterans and the COVID-19 pandemic have not been studied, but the authors offer learning from their experiences working with veterans and their families who have been affected by the virus.