RENO, Nev. (KOLO) -For the past 30 years, Veterans Guest House has been committed to serving veterans and their families as they seek medical care in our area.

And during those 30 years, the need has grown enormously. In fact, the Guest House has been regularly full this year. To meet the growing need, Veterans Guest House has also expanded the services it offers. Although still under the umbrella of the original mission, meals, transportation and personal care are now offered.

“Some of our veterans who we served today 30 years ago continue to come back,” according to Sylvia Froslie, executive director of the Veterans Guest House. “Now they are in a different chapter of their life. They still live in the countryside. “They still have limited financial means and do not have access to health care in the communities they call home.”

Let’s think of Pat Holland. He lives in Quincy, California. But her husband, Chuck James, lives in northern Nevada due to recent medical issues that require ongoing care.

Pat and Chuck have known each other for most of their adult lives. He was friends with Pat’s first husband as the two bonded over mutual interests.

The two were reunited later in life when Pat’s husband entered hospice. And after his death, the two found comfort in each other.

“There was a void in my life after my husband died,” Holland said. “I wasn’t fully prepared for the emptiness that was going to be the rest of my life. We started our marriage when we were 70, and these last 10 years have flown by and they’ve always been doing something. We are never old, we are never old. “We’re just doing things and not really attending to the final issues of life, as I probably should have demanded.”

But now Pat is faced with making some of those decisions. While he is not under hospice care, Chuck’s health has forced the couple to face some difficult decisions.

And they are not alone. Every day, veterans and their families face end-of-life decisions. Some have the resources to live those days comfortably. But others face those last moments with uncertainty.

“So our solution is to give them a home so they can get the palliative care and the 24-hour care that they need when they can’t get it where they live,” Froslie said.

The current home and mission remain the same. This is a second home that will offer a free, private residence for veterans in their final days.

It is not a medical center. Veterans will be enrolled with a hospice provider of their choice, who will oversee their medical needs.

“It changes the experience of dying for veterans and their families,” Froslie said. “We know there is an enormous financial and caregiving burden on our loved ones when we are in those final stages. We are providing the home. We are providing emotional and caring support. So spouses can be spouses, children can be children of their loved ones.”

The house is purchased and the plan is to welcome the first guest in June 2025. Returning to its roots, the hospice home will first welcome a veteran.

“Over time, once we have perfected that, we will have six private rooms available for veterans at the end of their life,” Froslie said. Chuck and Pat aren’t there yet, and the hope is that the two will spend many more years together.

But when it’s time for other veterans, the Guest House hopes to be the place of healing for that final journey.

“Our invitation is to be curious,” Froslie said. “Come see what we are doing at both the guest house and the hospice and see how we can get you involved.”

For more information or to donate, Click here.

Copyright 2024 KOLO. All rights reserved.