Military Connection is 'Backstage Pass' to Veteran Hospice Patients

When one imagines what a hospice Patient Care Volunteer would look like, an image of Air Force Master Sgt. Raina Cavalera may not be the first thing to pop up.

Sitting down for an interview, the 38-year-old Fort George G. Meade career assistance adviser is dressed in her ABU, or Airman Battle Uniform, camouflage trousers tucked into combat boots and hair neatly pinned into a bun just as regulations detail.

It doesn’t take long to warm up to her vibrant personality. She is quick to laugh and returns the favor.

She not only is the ideal Patient Care Volunteer, she is the perfect Veteran Patient Care Volunteer.

She came to Hospice of the Chesapeake through the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Center, looking to pick up the hours she needs to add a “C” to the end of her LCSW. Cavalera is seeking to become a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Certified. Having served in the military since Sept. 11, 1996, the Crofton resident hopes to retire soon and make civilian use of her social work degree.

Her military status was the perfect match for the nonprofit’s Veteran-to-Veteran Program. It is part of the We Honor Veterans program, a collaboration of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and Department of Veterans Affairs. Program partners like Hospice of the Chesapeake use resources and education provided by the NHPCO and the VA to help Veteran Volunteers care for Veteran patients and their families.

Cavalera’s uniform is an immediate icebreaker for a Veteran patient. “It mitigates that awkward, ‘what do we talk about’ moment,” she said. But even more than that, it is evocative of collective spirit that only those who have served in the military can understand. “It’s ‘we’ not ‘me.’ The word ‘family’ comes to mind. No matter if we are working together or served at different times, all military is part of one family.”

With more than 25 percent of Hospice of the Chesapeake patients having served in the military, the need for Patient Care Volunteers who also are Veterans is growing. It isn’t enough to pair volunteers with patients based on availability. One of the most important goals for the nonprofit is to provide patients with remarkable moments at the end of life. For Veterans, that means pairing them with people who understand a significant part of their identity.

“The uniform makes it more powerful, more meaningful,” Cavalera said. “It’s another identity I have. I have a backstage pass by the virtue that I have a uniform.”

That powerful and meaningful feeling works both ways. “It’s giving back. We’re invited into this intimate moment in their lives. What a better way to serve our Veterans? This minimal thing of just being there?” she said.

For more information about the We Honor Veterans program at Hospice of the Chesapeake, visit www.hospicechesapeake.org/the-life-center-109/we-honor-veterans-program. To volunteer, contact Volunteer Coordinator Allison Kuchar at 443-837-1513 or akuchar@hospicechesapeake.org.