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 Vallarta Living | Veteran Affairs | February 2007 
The Care Isn't There
 David Lord - PVNN
Walter Reed Hospital, the premier Military Hospital in America was disgraced this last week with the revelations about the rat and cockroach infested Building 18. This is the care unit (located off site) where Veterans still recovering from their war wounds are sent while on active duty and awaiting orders, to be discharged or be put back on active duty. The Hospital is overflowing with wounded, so ready or not, the wounded are put into a filthy off-site building, known only as "Building 18."
In the days when I was recovering from war wounds back in 1968, (nine months and six operations,) I was in a Military Hospital, not at some off site rat invested, mold spore, bilge tank. My care came first, I may not have been able to leave the hospital in uniform as a Viet Nam vet, but I had medical care.
Today the care isn't there, the Marines, the Army, the men and women of all branches are as neglected as it gets by the system that repairs the body then destroys hope for a normal life.
This neglect of basic sanitary codes, adhered to even in prisons, is a betrayal. If in the civilian world, each veteran would be rightfully be given attorneys to sue and gain punitive damages.
We veterans cannot file suit against the Military Hospital (and even if we could we wouldn't in most cases,) but as our non-serving compatriots you could demand that the warriors have clean recoveries by sending an email of protest to the Department of Defense.
The Next Chapter
The aging of the veteran population is a major challenge confronting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA.) Today, 9.2 million veterans are age 65 or older, representing 38 percent of the total veteran population. By 2033, the proportion of older veterans will increase to 45 percent of the total.
As in the general U.S. population, those age 85 or older (the "old-old") are the fastest growing segment of the veteran population, representing 4 percent of current veterans. The number of veterans age 85 or older is expected to exceed 1 million by the end of 2006 and rise to a peak of 1.4 million in 2033.
I have to wonder what will happen to the health care priorities for the aged Veteran when the money crunch comes into full play from the Iraq War, now is the time to register in the V.A. hospital system.
Diabetes Care
Diabetes is a serious but common disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy.
It has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. About 20.8 million Americans - or 7 percent of the U.S. population - have diabetes, but about one-third of them are not aware of their condition.
More than 1 million new cases are diagnosed every year. The prevalence will continue to rise with the aging of the U.S. population, the growth in minority populations most susceptible to Type 2 diabetes and the increase in obesity among Americans. The majority of deaths and hospitalizations related to diabetes are due to cardiovascular complications such as heart attack and stroke.
Prevalence of Diabetes in Veterans; One in five - or 20 percent - is substantially higher than in the general population. Based upon an annual VA patient population of about five million, the number of VA patients with diabetes at any time is more than one million.
Nearly all veterans with diabetes are men; 2.4 percent are women. The largest group of veterans with diabetes is over 65 years of age. Diabetes is more common in Americans who are older, overweight, not active physically, have a family history of diabetes, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders.
Non-Institutional Care Areas to Consider
Veterans can receive home-based primary care, contract home health care, adult day health care, homemaker and home health aide services, home respite care, home hospice care and community residential care.
In fiscal year 2003, 50 percent of VA's total extended care patient population received care in non-institutional settings. If you are currently living with a home bound veteran or one that is in need of aid and attendance for daily functions you should be contacting the V.A. asking aid for the care being provided.
National Purple Heart Magazine
The March Issue will feature my Veterans Service in Mexico. I am honored to have my volunteer service work for Veterans recognized, I am sure it will be the first time many of those disabled war Veterans living in America read about claims service and medical benefits being provided in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, as well as the rest of Mexico and Latin America.
 David Lord served in Vietnam as combat Marine for 1st Battalion 26th Marines, during which time he was severely wounded. He received the Purple Heart and the Presidential Unit Citation for his actions during the war in Vietnam. In Mexico, David now represents all veterans south of the U.S. border all the way to Panama, before the V.A. and the Board of Veterans Appeals. David Lord provides service to veterans at no fee. Veterans are welcome to drop in and discuss claims/benefits to which they are entitled by law at his office located at Bayside Properties, 160 Francisca Rodriguez, tel.: 223-4424, call him at home 299-5367, on his cell: 044 (322) 205-1323, or email him at david.lord@yahoo.com.
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