The mental health of the elderly and the veterans, in particular, has always been of great importance in nursing. Indeed, veterans and older adults tend to have a more vulnerable response to the transition from medical facilities back to the community. The nurses play a significant role in supporting these transitions while presenting resources for the emotional and physical well-being of veterans, especially when there is a risk for suicidal behavior due to trauma and depression (Luci et al., 2019). For this reason, the legislation on both state and federal levels requires nurses to undergo a standard procedure of veterans’ evaluation prior to releasing them from the facility.
The current memorandum of the Veteran Health Association expects nurses to secure veteran outreach programs, suicide risk screening, and report potential risk cases to the facilities responsible (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2021). The directive, for its part, became a law after the Veterans’ Care Transparency Act was passed to Congress by Lauren Underwood, a representative of the 14th Illinois Congress who was once a fellow registered nurse (US Congress, 2020). Hence, sharing the vision of veterans’ health, Underwood became a community advocate for public mental health.
Currently, the legislation presupposes a standardized assessment procedure that includes a mandatory screening of the veteran 24 hours before the discharge to make sure that the patient is capable of returning to the community. However, the legislation currently requires no mental health screening immediately after the release (Luci et al., 2019). This gap should be bridged because people discharged from the medical facility may face various challenges during their first days of community reintegration. It is vital to keep a record of the mental health of the veteran population regularly after the transition.
References
Department of Veterans Affairs. (2021). Suicide prevention program. Web.
Luci, K., Simons, K., Hagemann, L., Jacobs, M. L., Bower, E. S., Eichorst, M. K., & Hilgeman, M. M. (2020). SAVE-CLC: An intervention to reduce suicide risk in older veterans following discharge from VA nursing facilities.Clinical Gerontologist, 43(1), 118-125. Web.
US Congress. (2020). H.R.2372 – Veterans’ Care Quality Transparency Act.Web.