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Citation
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Blackstone K, Dinescu A, Currie-Gill B, Ramsey-Lucas CA, Wilson MS, Laramie JA, Morgan R, Watson P. J. Pain Symptom Manage. 2020; 59(2): e475. |
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Abstract
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Approximately 2.7 million Americans served in the military during the Vietnam War (1961-1975). 58,000 died, and many others endured traumatic experiences in combat. Soldiers returning home after the war often faced scorn in the popular press and in their communities. As a result, many Vietnam-era Veterans have experienced prolonged post-war symptoms of medical, psychological, and spiritual distress including moral injury.
Today, the majority of Vietnam veteran survivors are age 65+, and their experience of serious illness may be complicated by post-traumatic stress and war-related moral injury as evidenced by their higher suicide rate at all ages. The majority of seriously ill Vietnam Veterans receive medical care outside the VA, and 97% of veteran deaths occur outside VA facilities. It is thus urgent and incumbent upon all hospice providers to gain knowledge and skill in caring for Vietnam-era Veterans. In 2019 VA initiated a training program to improve wellness outcomes for seriously ill Vietnam Veterans. Three lectures, including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Moral Injury, and Suicide Prevention, were provided to VA Hospice and Palliative Care (HPC) Education Champions. Building on its collaboration with the NHPCO, VA commits to sharing these learning modules with VA and non-VA community hospice staff.
At this AAHPM concurrent interactive and interprofessional session, a VA HPC Team will present "Moral Injury in Vietnam Veterans." A Vietnam War Army Veteran will share his personal experience. The HPC Team will define moral injury, describe its impact on Vietnam Veterans with serious and life-threatening illness, identify interdisciplinary team roles in assessment and treatment, and share best practice examples. The HPC Team will teach participants the "Stress First Aid" toolkit with easily translatable examples and role play opportunities. Web-based resources and facilitation of collaborative opportunities for additional training with local VA staff will also be shared.
Language: en |