Show America’s Heroes

They Are Not Forgotten

LaSalle County, IL 01/23/2012—VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of LaSalle is looking for a few good volunteers to visit veterans at the end of life.

 VITAS Veteran Volunteers may or may not be U.S. military veterans themselves. They are trained to meet the specific needs of terminally ill veterans living in their own homes, nursing homes, assisted living communities and veterans’ medical centers. Some VITAS Veteran Volunteers spend up to four hours a week assisting a veteran; others volunteer annually, helping VITAS coordinate Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day celebrations. Assignments are made according to the volunteer’s preferences.

 “Veterans enjoy receiving visitors—people who will listen to their fading memories and reminiscences. Some veterans need transportation to appointments, shopping and other events. Others need help applying for benefits or researching other kinds of assistance,” explains Rosana Madrigal, Manager of Volunteer Services. “VITAS Veteran Volunteers learn to help.”

 Some volunteers become specialists, replacing the military medals a veteran may have lost over the years, recording life stories or perhaps addressing veterans’ groups on hospice services.

 If you would like to show a veteran that he is not forgotten, call Rosana at 815-220-2407 and inquire about the next VITAS Veteran Volunteer training session.

 VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® is the nation’s largest provider of end-of-life care.  A pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, VITAS has been caring for the terminally ill and their families in LaSalle since 2007.