Honoring Our Nation’s Veterans

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​Many veterans call Northern Ohio home. “As veterans near the end of life, we are honored to help them on their journey so they can find peace,” explained Nate Gradisher, Provider Relations Manager, who chairs the Peaceful and Proud Committee. “We are placing a special focus on issues like PTSD, which can have a devastating impact on the quality of life for veterans and their families.

“Volunteers who have served in the military are often paired with veteran patients, providing the camaraderie of shared experiences. Counseling, storytelling, art and music therapy, and legacy work are just a few of the ways we help veterans achieve peace.”

To thank those who have served, Hospice of the Western Reserve also conducts both private and public veterans recognition ceremonies. These range from intimate ceremonies involving a single hospice patient to large community ceremonies where a hundred or more veterans are honored. This year, Hospice of the Western Reserve hosted more than 35 ceremonies and over 1,000 veterans were honored and thanked. Hundreds more were honored privately, in bedside ceremonies for our patients and their families.

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One of the largest public ceremonies took place at Williams on the Lake in Medina, attended by more than 200 veterans and family members. Each veteran was recognized individually for his or her service and presented with a commemorative lapel pin.

Hospice of Medina County and Hospice of the Western Reserve also are partners in commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, a Department of Defense program that honors Vietnam veterans and their families. 

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This year, we were honored to collaborate with Vietnam veterans, caregivers and clinicians from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Stein Hospice, Hospice of North Central Ohio, elected officials, representatives of Vietnam Veteransof America and other veterans groups at a Vietnam veteran end-of life care meeting at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. Among the speakers were Hospice of the Western Reserve veteran-to-veteran volunteers Donald Stark, Wayne Pettek, Randy Schmidt and Jim Schoene. All four men served in Vietnam and shared their perspectives. Today, they all play active roles in honoring and working with their fellow veterans at the end of life.

We Can Help

Speak with the referral team by contacting us seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Any first visit and admission can be made the first day.

Northern Ohio's Hospice of Choice

More than 1,000 Hospice of the Western Reserve employees and 3,000 volunteers live and work side-by-side in the same neighborhoods with our patients and families. We are privileged to have cared for more than 100,000 Northern Ohioans since our inception.