Resident Stories

We Salute You, Ernie
Ernie Reynolds

Apr, 2016

Hospice at Home is a proud member of the “We Honor Veterans” program. Our goals for this program are to meet the unique needs of every veteran we serve, and to thank them for their service to our country. Thanks to the support of this community, we have been able to expand our reach from hospice clients to include veterans in our Transitions program. Transitions is a community service, provided by Hospice at Home, that links people with advanced progressive illness to community resources they need, but may not be aware of. This is the story of one of our Transitions clients.

Ernest “Ernie” Reynolds is a proud Army veteran who served in the Korean War. He enjoys sharing his military stories with his volunteer Mike, who is also a veteran and has a personal understanding of these stories. Ernie often speaks proudly about his military service with Brandi Edge, our Transitions Program Coordinator. 

When Ernie’s health required him to move from his home to Pine Ridge: A Rehabilitation and Nursing Facility, it took him some time to adjust. To help Ernie’s transition, Brandi suggested that we honor him for his service to our country through the Hospice at Home Salutes Our Veterans appreciation program.

On a beautiful day in mid-February, friends and caregivers gathered in the family room at Pine Ridge with Ernie to honor and thank him for serving our country. Ernie was pleased to see his daughter Brenda – who traveled from New York – as well as his former neighbors who took time to be there. In addition, Ernie was surrounded by Transitions support staff, two veteran volunteers, and Pine Ridge team members. As part of the ceremony, a fellow veteran and hospice associate read a decree and presented Ernie with a certificate of appreciation.

It is an honor to thank our veterans for their service, and we appreciate the community support we receive that allows us to make moments like this happen. Thank you Ernie. We salute you.