Caregiving
and My Veteran
Viet Nam Veteran
he experience of caregiving and my veteran is an adjustment with someone independent. Clement Edwardo Hill, II was a veteran of the Vietnam conflict during the Tet Offensive 1967 - 1968. He was drafted despite being enrolled full-time to attend college. An only son, he was stationed in Thailand where he learned a lot about the culture. Though the government allowed the impression that they did not draft only sons, stationing him in Thailand, away from the actual theater of battle, was a way to skirt that practice. Another veteran told me that it was a suggestion. However, it always worked whether or not the person was an only son if they had enough fiscal influence.
Caregiving and My Veteran in the British Virgin Islands
While in the Trade Department in the British Virgin Islands, I overheard a woman say, "Aracept."
I speculated that a relative of hers was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The advertisements for this pharmaceutical claim that the manufacturer believes it addresses Alzheimer's symptoms. There is nothing definitive about this drug. A doctor prescribed it for my husband the same day he looked at images taken in a decommissioned MRI unit on Tortola.
The doctor could not magnify the images for more answers. The MRI unit was purchased and used in the British Virgin Islands because:
- The industrial regulations for this medical equipment do not exist in the BVI, and.
- The regulation standards for consumer and medical professional use do not exist there either.
The doctor appeared frustrated because of the limited information he had access to. At that time, Anderson Cooper's "360" show on CNN demonstrated an MRI unit with three-dimensional imagery and high magnification capability. My husband's first experience was in this decommissioned MRI unit.
A friend was severely damaged by a truck when he was riding his bicycle. It was not optimistic that he would ever walk again. He was working at it. We met him at the reception area for this MRI unit. He shared that the interior was claustrophobic compared to the currently acceptable industry standard on St. Thomas, USVI.
Most of what the doctor offered us that day was guesses based on his experience with his patients and the drug. I gave my husband one tablet. He did not do well, and we agreed I would not give it to him again.
Caregiving and My Veteran in the United States
When we returned to the United States, the work continued to enroll him into the Veterans’ Administration system. When we were in the British Virgin Islands, I enrolled him in the Peters Medical Center facility in the Bronx, anticipating our move to New York City. Things did not work out that way. We flew into South Carolina, and the process began anew.
The United States of America is a republic. Our veterans fight to maintain our liberties. And for all who were drafted or volunteered, we owe them our gratitude. Despite knowing the US is comprised of autonomous states, I was still surprised that the Veterans’ Administration’s regulations varied depending on location. It meant more work but also informed me of the variation of services and, even more important, the number of veterans in need.
Orangeburg, South Carolina, has a friendly, efficient clinic for veterans. A physician's assistant (PA) interviewed us, who, unfortunately, used most of the time to fill in information on his computer. He asked me, "What do you want the VA to do for you?" I responded, "To assist in my husband's health needs." He said that was a broad statement and launched right into what the VA could not do.
Some months later, I got a call from the clinic. They requested us to visit, and I brought my husband. We met another physician's assistant who reviewed the first meeting. She was surprised at what I told her. She looked at the intake forms the first physician's assistant filled out. They confirmed what she thought. The first physician's assistant determined my husband did not need assistance. Services flowed after this meeting. The PA was instrumental in assisting my husband's health.
The clinic has Home-Based Patient Care (HBPC) services that provide visits to the home. The services were of immense help. It saved me time in preparing and transporting my husband to the clinic. The physician, nurses, and a social worker visit the home, providing services and an ear. They listen. Everything was new to my husband and me. It was helpful to express my thoughts because they listened. They also had great advice and ways to ease the work.
Clem in his hootch on a base in Thailand
Each client is assigned a physician. Each client is also assigned a social worker. Whenever I think of the social worker, I bless her for being there. She ensured we became aware of services they could provide my husband, such as a wheelchair, a shower chair, and crutches. Unfortunately, we could not receive these gifts due to a lack of transportation.
I did purchase these online, and they were delivered. My mother gave us funds to get them. Thanks, Mom.
I made appointments with the William Brian Jennings Dorn Medical Center in Columbia, South Carolina, to measure my husband for the equipment. During my call to cancel yet another appointment, a "brilliant" employee at the MRI department said, "Why don't you get the transportation together and then make another appointment?"
That was something I did not need to hear. I wrote a letter to the Director and copied the HBPC Medical Director and the Supervisor. I decided to keep the letter and release the energy of the incident. Our option was a private taxi. Bus schedules to Dorn started early in the morning, before he was comfortably awake. His appointments extended beyond the van's last departure.
The work to organize all of what was needed was exhaustive. The hospital had volunteer drivers collecting vets for appointments. The van collected passengers at 6:45 AM, some distance away, for which we needed a taxi, but they did not run before 9:00 AM. Later, the Orangeburg area did not even have a driver to operate the van.
We could finally hire transportation to the William Brian Jennings Dorn Medical Center in Columbia, South Carolina. It was worth the time to get my husband his appointments.
We continue along. The VA clinic continues to support my husband’s health with monthly visits to weigh him, take his blood pressure, and discuss what transpired since the last visit. The staff is exemplary, on time, and in time. You can find more information about support for veterans at http://www.va.gov.
Hibiscus flowers that grew on my husband's property in Josiah's Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
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The above meditation mandala will be available soon.
