Senior care for veterans can be a little bit different than caring for other elderly folk. Most families believe that the VA program will provide everything that their elderly loved one needs when it comes to care. In theory, this is correct, but it’s not always the case. Sometimes, something more is needed.
According to the VA’s website, veterans have a number of choices when it comes to senior care. Choices are a good thing, but narrowing down what is best for your family isn’t always that easy to do. Working with the VA can help you to get a better idea of what will be most beneficial for your loved one. Depending upon where you live, though, your choices may be limited.
Using what is called “Shared Decision Making” might be the most helpful option for your family. This allows you to use a combined pool of resources to figure out what is best for your older loved one, and then implement that decision into a senior care plan. The biggest benefit of this method is that involves the person that will be receiving the care in when it comes to the planning process. This goes a long way toward ensuring that not only is the best care given, but that it is done in a manner that they will find to be helpful. This can reduce the likelihood of elder abuse, and it will be a big boost for mental health at the same time. All of these things are very good, and will make the senior care experience that much less of a problem for everyone involved. This also helps you to get a better idea of whether or not the best care for your loved one is something that the VA can provide. If it’s not, then you need to start thinking about alternatives. Even if the VA cannot directly provide the care, there’s a chance that it will still be included in their insurance. Be sure to ask the appropriate questions about this before you get too far along in the process.
The VA provides services that they refer to as home and community based services, and the goal with these is to help your loved one stay healthy and in their home. Also note that you can usually receive more than one of these services at any given time. For most people, this is the best place to start your search when it comes to veteran care.
The VA can be a great resource when it comes to planning your loved one’s senior care, but do remember that it’s not the only resource available to elderly veterans. Sometimes, using other avenues of help can be helpful, too. Things like in-home care and other types of care assistance may or may not be available through your local VA, but if they are not available there, you probably still have access to them through other organizations. If these outside sources are going to be helpful to your family and you have the ability to obtain them, you should do your utmost to secure them for your elderly loved one. Their care is, after all, one of your highest priorities.
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