Just about every day in this country—in big cities and in small towns—there are thousands of small, but important visits taking place in long-term care facilities. These casual get-togethers between Legionnaires and the war veterans who reside in these places don’t attract a lot of attention. In fact, they usually pass unnoticed by the general public, but each visit makes a huge difference.

In this issue of Legion Magazine we salute the volunteers who make it part of their week or, remarkably, part of their daily routine to drop in and spend a bit of quality time with men and women who served their country so well, but can no longer live at home, and have perhaps outlived their spouses.

On the whole, Veterans Affairs Canada is responsible for the care and well-being of qualified veterans who live in a variety of long-term care facilities across the country. In major facilities, there are approximately 3,300 veterans in priority access beds. Roughly 7,300 other veterans live in over 1,900 community facilities in long-term care beds.

Since its inception more than 80 years ago, The Royal Canadian Legion has followed an oath to look out for the welfare of Canada’s returned soldiers, especially those who have ended up in hospital as a result of wounds suffered or due to frailties brought on by old age. As our feature story on page 34 shows, Legion branches take the responsibility of visiting these veterans very seriously, and the benefits are clear—everything from brightening a veteran’s day to improving the quality of care a veteran receives. Visitors also benefit.

“It’s the pleasure you get seeing their faces light up, especially when you’re in uniform,” notes Eileen Margaret Smith, 87, of the Victoria Ex-Servicewomen’s Branch who has been visiting residents at the Lodge of Broadmead for nine years. “I look forward to it…. I’m carrying on as long as I can…lucky to be in good health and to be able to help.”

The residents in these facilities come to trust the Legionnaires who visit them, and a good part of this is due to the bonds of service that exist among members of the ex-service community. Another reason for the trust being so high is rooted in the regular contact these casual visits bring, and there is nothing more fulfilling than that.

Our coverage also highlights the importance of the Veterans Long Term Care Surveyor Program launched in 2001. Utilizing its network of 1,500 branches in small and large centres across Canada, the Legion is working under contract with VAC to conduct veteran satisfaction surveys. Legion members are screened and qualified through surveyor training and are then assigned to visit sites in their areas where they interview veterans and provide completed questionnaires to VAC. Seven years on, the program is still making a difference.

In addition to the thousands of casual visits occurring every day, this survey work is crucial to the cause of looking after those who gave so much. Sometimes though, there is just no greater gift than taking the time to stop by for a chat. So we applaud those who do take the time. You are making a difference.

Listening To Reason

Recent reports by the Canadian Press show that the Department of National Defence does not have the systems in place to record the number of people returning from tours overseas who have been identified with hearing loss or brain injuries. In fact, military doctors in Canada have to rely on audiometers which were manufactured in the 1970s with parts that are no longer available for replacement.

The results of these tests go into the individual’s file along with a questionnaire on which the returning soldier needs to indicate if he or she suspects they sustained certain injuries.

Studies in the United States have shown that one in four soldiers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer damaged hearing caused largely by blasts from improvised explosive devices, suicide bomb explosions and prolonged exposure to noisy vehicles—many of the same conditions experienced by Canadian Forces personnel in Afghanistan (See page 40).

The noise of war is no new problem. Hearing loss is the most common disability handled by The Royal Canadian Legion’s service officers. Whether serving on ships, in aircraft or with the weapons of land warfare, Canadian military personnel have always been putting their hearing at risk. Veterans Affairs Canada has reported that in 2001 it had 37,374 clients in receipt of treatment benefits for hearing loss at a total cost of $22.6 million. By March 2008 the number had risen to 47,347 clients with an expenditure of $38.5 million.

Even though previously adjudication for hearing loss was an all-or-nothing scenario, currently because of the Attorney General vs. Nelson ruling of May 2007, Veterans Affairs Canada and the Veterans Review and Appeal Board recognize partial entitlement for hearing loss, which has resulted in a large number of successful claims.

However, hearing loss, which is a condition that can be caused or aggravated by military service, is not always evident until after the person has left the Canadian Forces. Therefore, as long as the Canadian Forces continues to use these antiquated machines, doubt will always be an issue in establishing claims down the road. Better equipment would benefit those applicants establishing a claim and would give the Canadian Forces a better knowledge base for understanding and managing one of the most common disabilities resulting from service.

Popularity: 3% [?]