Having an older loved one that needs senior care can be frustrating, but having the right tools for the job can take much of this burden away. If you have an elderly veteran in your family, for example, you should know that you have even more options available than you might at first think. Veterans have many resources available to them that the general public does not, and if you have a loved one that fits this description, this is the first place that you should start.
One of your first stops should be checking out what the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has to offer. The VA can go a long way toward helping you to find, or even supplying, senior care. This is often at a greatly reduced cost or even free of charge. Receiving extra income through Aid & Attendance or Homebound pension benefits is a start, but long term care should also be available in most instances. You do need to be eligible to receive long term care, and things like disability, income, and financial status will all be considered. Nursing home and residential care is available in some areas, too.
Like with any senior care situation, start with what’s simplest in order to make the process easier. If your loved one doesn’t need to move from their home, but only needs extra help getting through the day, in-home care will be best. It reduces both physical and mental stress, keeps your loved one in a spot they know and are comfortable in, and reduces expenses at the same time. If this isn’t adequate, then branch out. Again, a representative from the VA should be able to walk you through the process if you need help. They may even have suggestions or tips that you never have considered. If payment is an issue, they should be able to provide you with advice and resources for making sure that money is not an issue when dealing with the wellbeing of your elderly loved one.
Many veterans find that the quality of care that they are receiving is not as good as they had expected. This is unfortunate, and it is certainly not indicative of what’s available to veterans as a whole, but more often it is just a few extreme examples. Still, no one should ever need to go through something like this. Also, this can happen to anyone and not just those that are veterans. If you are using senior care of any sort, and think that your mom or dad, or whichever relative you are helping out, is not being treated correctly, find alternative help. Your county’s social services will be able to help if you cannot find any other options. Just keep in mind that there is always help out there, you just might not know where to look for it at first. The more you know about your available resources, the better job you can do at finding the best and most fitting form of senior care for your family.
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