Caregiving TLC: Never Forget

CAREGIVING TLC

By Kie Copenhaver CSA, RHIA, SHSS, RCFE www.agingwellpartners.com

Never Forget

Each of this month’s topics – 9/11, Gold Star Mother’s Day, and National Suicide Prevention Month – cover somber and heartbreaking subjects. And after much reflection, I think the larger theme of this issue is “Never Forget”.

Let us never forget everyone and everything we lost that fateful morning of 9/11/2001. As the towers burned and eventually collapsed into rubble and ashes, the loss we as Americans experienced was staggering, the likes of which we will never get over. Some lost mothers and fathers while others lost husband and wives. Sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, children and elderly were lost that day. Our way of living, thinking, and loving changed forever on 9/11.

In recent years, our nation has experienced an unprecedented rise in mental health challenges and our current healthcare systems are struggling to meet the need for mental health practitioners and services to help those in need. Our veterans are 1.5 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population, according to the VA National Suicide Data Report (2005-2016), published in 2018. And the suicide rate of veterans aged 18-34 has been significantly higher than any other age group. Never forget that someone somewhere is struggling to stay in this world and make some kind of peace with their heart and head. Never forget that our men and women in the armed forces are someone’s son or daughter. And as these sons and daughters are sent off to boot camp, tours of duty, and other orders that may send them to corners of this earth we’ve never even heard of, the possibility of them never returning is painfully present. When a service member is killed while serving in our military, the mother who brought that being into this world becomes a member of the Gold Star Mothers – a distinction no mother wants.

When we lose a loved one, we experience grief – “a deep sorrow, especially that caused by someone’s death” according to the Oxford dictionary. Our level of grief may vary yet with the loss of a loved, we all experience sadness and loss in a way unique to us. If you are dealing with grief and/or loss, there are resources out there to help you; you are not alone. Grief counselors, bereavement groups, veterans’ groups, and the Gold Star Mother’s network are just a few groups that can help you deal with loss and grief. The suicide hotline is available 24/7/365 for anyone considering suicide or experiencing emotional distress or crisis – call 9-8-8 anywhere in the United States and you will be connected with a specially trained individual who can help. In the San Diego area, you can call 2-1-1 and gather needed resources within the community.

We can come through to the other side of grief in perhaps a healthier way when we reach out to family, friends and other resources designed to help with this journey, which is as unique, specific, and special as you. None of us have to take this journey called life alone!

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COMMIT TED TO VETERANS

As a partner of the We Honor Veterans Program, Hospice of the North Coast is dedicated to providing optimal end-of-life care to the honored men and women who have fought for the freedom and security of our nation.