Elizabeth Dole Foundation
Support for our hidden heroes
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There are 5.5 million military caregivers—spouses, family, and friends of wounded, ill, or injured Veterans and service members—providing $14 billion in uncompensated, voluntary care for their loved ones across the United States. These hidden heroes face great physical, emotional, and financial strain themselves, and too often have few options for healthcare support. To address this urgent, national priority, Philips, in partnership with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is raising awareness, facilitating collaborations, and developing solutions that make a significant impact on the lives of military caregivers and identify the gaps in access to better care. Because real change happens at the local level, we are proud to play an active role in spearheading a growing network of more than 100 Hidden Heroes cities and local leaders committed to identifying long-lasting solutions for veterans and their caregivers.
Hidden Heroes Military Caregiver Celebrations
As part of our partnership with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Philips is proud to take part in local Caregiver Celebration events around the country bringing together local military caregivers, organizations and community leaders to celebrate and recognize the contributions of our nation’s hidden heroes - the spouses, parents, family members and friends - who work tirelessly to provide care for service members and veterans.
From Boston to Seattle and many locations in between, Philips has joined in the conversation to recognize the work of our caregivers and rally support for finding solutions to the unique challenges that our caregivers face. In recent events, these Caregiver Celebrations have expanded to include workshop sessions to gain first-hand input from caregivers to build the joint Military and Veteran Caregiver Experience Map, the first tool of its kind to identify areas for greater military caregiver services and support.
About Elizabeth Dole Foundation
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation is the preeminent organization empowering, supporting, and honoring our nation’s military caregivers; the spouses, parents, family members and friends who care for America’s wounded, ill or injured veterans. Learn more about the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and it's Hidden Heroes Campaign at hiddenheroes.org. Since 2017, Philips has been proud to partner with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation through our support for the Hidden Heroes campaign, a multifaceted program bringing vital attention to the untold stories of military caregivers.
Explore the Journey: The Military and Veteran Caregiver Experience Map Event in Durham, NC: July 9, 2019
This event incorporated a local caregiver celebration event with a workshop to gather feedback about the Military and Veteran Caregiver Experience Map. By gaining first-hand input from local caregivers, service organizations and other relevant stakeholders, continued updates and versioning can be made to improve upon the Map.
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Military Caregiver Celebration in Seattle, Washington: February 21, 2018
Building off of the momentum from last year, 2018’s first Military Caregiver Celebration took place in the city of Seattle. The event boasted a successful turnout of attendees and participants, including Seattle’s Mayor Jenny Durkan and the VA’s Meg Kabat, to participate with us during these important conversations.
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National Convening: The Military Caregiver Journey: November 13, 2017
Last November, we held our annual convening in Washington, DC to publicly introduce the development of the Caregiver Journey Map and offer an opportunity for event attendees to give feedback on the in-progress development of this vital resource. In addition to remarks by those close to the development of the Caregiver Journey Map, including members of Philips Design, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and key government stakeholders at the VA, the convening also gave attendees the opportunity to participate in workshop discussions to share their thoughts on the current rendition of the map and identify further areas for development.
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Military Caregiver Celebration in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: September 15, 2017
The first Military Caregiver Celebration kicked off last year at the Pittsburgh VA hospital with significant success, with remarks from Former VA Secretary Shulkin, Senator Elizabeth Dole, and Philips’ Joe Robinson.
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Empowering military caregivers with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation
The Military and Veteran Caregiver Experience Map
In an effort to better understand and provide support for our military and veteran caregivers, Philips has partnered with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and Department of Veterans Affairs on a project to chart the milestones that military and veteran caregivers face throughout their journey. Together, our organizations have developed the first-ever print and digital version of the caregiver journey, outlining the typical stages, needs, and intervention points of this population. As caregiver needs and challenges are ever-changing, this map will evolve as we continue to pinpoint areas where support is needed most. Our goal is for this map to be a widely embraced tool to develop critical support and resources for this underserved population that ultimately leads to better health outcomes for our caregivers and our veterans.
Military caregiving stories
We documented the experience of two caregiving families: The Megellas and Kellys. Watch their stories.
A caregiver story: James “Maggie” Megellas
The Kelly family shares their military caregiver journey
Connect with a Philips government account representative.
