RENO, Nev. (KOLO) -For the past 30 years, Veterans Guest House has been committed to serving veterans and their families seeking medical care in our region.

And in those 30 years the need has increased tremendously. In fact, the Guesthouse’s capacity has been regularly filled this year. In order to meet the increasing need, Gaziler Guest House has also expanded the services it offers. While still under the umbrella of the original mission, meals, transportation and personal care are now also offered.

“Some of the veterans we served 30 years ago continue to come today,” said Veterans Guest House CEO Sylvia Froslie. “They are in a different chapter of their lives now. They still live in rural areas. “They still have limited financial means and no access to medical care in the communities they call home.”

Think Pat Holland. He lives in Quincy, California. However, her husband, Chuck James, lives in Northern Nevada due to recent medical issues that require constant care.

Pat and Chuck had known each other for most of their adult lives. He was a friend of Pat’s first husband, as the two bonded over common interests.

The two were later reunited when Pat entered her husband’s nursing home. And in the wake of his death, the two found solace in each other.

“After my husband’s death, there was a void in my life,” Holland said. “I wasn’t quite ready for the emptiness that would be the rest of my life. We started when we were in our 70s, our marriage and the past 10 years flew by and they were always doing something. We never grew old, we never grew old. We’re just doing things and not dealing with the end of life like I probably should demand.

But now Pat is faced with making some of those decisions. Although he is not in a nursing home, Chuck’s health forces the couple to face some difficult decisions.

And they are not alone. Veterans and their families face death decisions every day. Some have the resources to live through those days comfortably. But others view these final moments with uncertainty.

“So our solution is to provide a home where they can get hospice care and the 24-hour care they need when they can’t get those services where they live,” Froslie said.

The current house and mission remain the same. This is a second home that will offer veterans free, private housing in their final days.

It’s not a medical facility. Veterans will be enrolled in a hospice provider of their choice who will oversee their medical needs.

“This changes the experience of death for veterans and their families,” Froslie said. “We know there is a huge financial and caregiver burden for our loved ones as we reach the final stages. We provide the house. We provide emotional and care support. In other words, spouses can be spouses for their loved ones, and children can be children.”

The house has been purchased and the first guest is planned to be welcomed in June 2025. Going back to its roots, the hospice will be the first to host a veteran.

“Eventually when we perfect this, we will have six private bedrooms for veterans at the end of their lives,” Froslie said. Chuck and Pat aren’t there yet, and the hope is that the two will spend many more years together.

But when the time comes for other veterans, the Guest House hopes to be a place of healing on this final journey.

“Our invitation is intriguing,” Froslie said. “Come find out what we do at both the residential and nursing home and let’s see how we can get you involved.”

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