“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” — Joseph Campbell
Now, as many of these heroes are dealing with the challenges of aging or injuries sustained in service, it’s time to repay that debt of gratitude by providing the care they deserve.
In recent years, Veterans Affairs officials agreed to a set of 12 recommendations that are meant to assist military caregivers with things like including caregivers in medical check-ups, creating new training and support services, and expanding research into their challenges.
Because of the work we do in non-medical home care and the services we provide to veteran family caregivers and their loved ones, a couple of these recommendations from the VA stood out to us:
- Recommendation 6: Conduct a thorough analysis of the need for respite care resources and their availability.
- Recommendation 8: Improve training for caregivers and include them in veterans’ medical planning from day one.
Occasional assessment and analysis of what is working and what is not working are always key to improving a situation—and the need for respite care resources is no different. Meanwhile, boosting training for caregivers and involving them in their loved one’s medical planning is essential for a seamless continuation of care at home.
At the time these recommendations were made by a committee chaired by former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, she noted that doctors and nurses weren’t listening to veteran family caregivers and often didn’t even allow them in the treatment room. Notably, Dole was a caregiver to her husband, former U.S. Sen. Robert Dole, who was a veteran himself. She also founded the nonprofit Elizabeth Dole Foundation, which works to address obstacles faced by military and veteran caregivers while also providing access to resources and calling for policy changes.
These guiding principles—put forth by the committee and embraced by the VA—are a step in the right direction and dovetail with the veteran home care services that FirstLight provides.
Home Care Assistance for Veterans
FirstLight offers respite care that gives family members and other loved ones who are primary caregivers a break from the demands of their own caregiving responsibilities. This covers basic daily personal care like bathing, dressing, cooking, laundry, taking the veteran to medical appointments, transferring in and out of a wheelchair and providing companionship.
We can also work with families to help them navigate some of the complexities when it comes to in home care for vets, health care benefits and resources for their veteran loved ones.
Veterans Aid and Attendance
A major obstacle for families caring for veterans is the cost of getting help with this care. However, many former military members qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits, which are added to the veteran’s monthly pension. To be eligible, the veteran must meet at least one of these requirements:
- Needing another person to assist with daily activities like bathing, dressing and feeding.
- Having to remain in bed—or spend a large part of the day in bed—due to illness.
- Being a nursing home patient because of disability-related loss of mental or physical abilities.
- Suffering from eyesight limited to 5/200 or less in both eyes or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less (even with corrective glasses or contact lenses).
Veteran Senior Care at Home
Veteran home care benefits can cover part of the cost of assistance from companies like FirstLight to help with personal hygiene, daily household duties and errands. If one of the many military caregivers providing care for veteran loved ones, FirstLight Home Care is here for you. To learn about how our services can comfort them and provide respite for you, contact us today!