See How Teams Are Working Together to Improve a Veteran’s Health Care Journey

Throughout his life, Samuel Jones,* a Home Care patient who’s also receiving services from our Care Management Organization (CMO) and Veterans Outreach program, has always been someone who cared for others. When asked to describe her father, his daughter, Donna, tells the story of when he was first undergoing radiation therapy for cancer and how he went right back to work at the phone company after the treatment was finished, doing the physical work of climbing telephone poles.

“That’s the kind of guy he is,” she says. “Active, independent, humble, never complains, and doesn’t want people to do things for him.”

More than 70 years ago, Mr. Jones served in the Korean War. In the citation accompanying the Bronze Star Medal he received for his service, Mr. Jones was praised for his loyalty, genuine humility, courage, common sense and devotion to others. Today, these attributes continue to shine through for the large and loving team of people committed to caring for Mr. Jones—a team that includes his family, friends, and VNS Health caregivers.

VNS Health Home Care nurse John Ramos visits Mr. Jones regularly to provide care. The two of them quickly bonded over Mr. Jones’s service background. “He’s a great guy, and we can talk about anything,” says John, who has many family members who served in the military. “Service, family, fishing, being fathers of daughters.” Their conversations have the added benefit of distracting Mr. Jones from the discomfort of certain medical procedures, he adds.

Physical therapist Christopher Balducci also says that good conversation is good medicine when he visits Mr. Jones to helps him get out of bed, move his legs, and stand up. “We talk and laugh, and that takes his mind off the pain of moving,” notes Christopher, adding that when Mr. Jones brought up his military service, Christopher shared that his father was also stationed in Korea after the war.

VNS Health first began caring for Mr. Jones when he was discharged home from a Long Island hospital. In addition to Home Care services, he was enrolled in our CMO—who in turn promptly linked him with VNS Health’s Veterans Outreach program, which helps with education and advocacy, benefit navigation, and other supports.

In fact, it was CMO Clinical Care Manager Seth Simpson, RN, who first made this connection, after learning that Mr. Jones has served in Korea. Seth is the mother of a Marine veteran (Infantry) and she deeply understands what it means to be a veteran—although it is important to note that any VNS Health team member can refer a patient who has served in the military to our Veterans Program.

“I’m a nurse,” says Seth, “so I initially look at a diagnosis. But I’m also looking for who you are as a human being and what you did in your life. That’s the best part of connecting people to VNS Health’s Veterans program—finding out who these people are along with the branch they served, any war time they saw, and what it all means to them. Very powerful.”

From the moment the Veterans liaison team walked into his house, Mr. Jones felt the camaraderie of shared experience. They talked about military service, his and theirs, and life in general—work, family, and the importance of doing what you love to do.

After the team left, Mr. Jones told his personal care aide, who is a family friend, “What a good day! What lovely guys.”

The liaison team went on to help Mr. Jones navigate the Veterans Affairs system and claim VA benefits he had coming to him. As part of their support, the team also held an in-home ceremony honoring his service, which included presenting Mr. Jones with a Certificate of Appreciation.

This was another “good day” for Mr. Jones, said his daughter. Sharing stories with his fellow veterans—especially across generations—rekindled his pride in his own service. “He’s so humble about his service,” says Donna. “But the liaison team was able to bring out so many stories. There was a real mutual respect and camaraderie. He just had such a big smile on his face.”

For Victor Interiano, a liaison team member who has a Master of Social Work degree and served as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Veterans program’s relationship with Mr. Jones is a prime example of the special link that connects veterans to each other—no matter their generation, their branch of service, or what rank they held.

“We share an understanding of what it means to place your life in someone’s hands, and to have them do the same with you,” says Victor. “We have a lifelong bond. It’s multi-generational—we’ve walked in each other’s shoes.”

*  The patient’s name has been changed for privacy.