Aging Veteran Care
As people get older, they may have certain questions about their health, what to expect, and even care options. When it comes to home care for elderly veterans, it’s not always easy to assess one’s true understanding about what’s available, what’s best, and what they should seriously consider.
Here are three questions you might consider asking an elderly veteran in your family about home care. These questions can elicit some valuable information about how they assess their own capabilities of taking care of themselves, if they know about certain pensions available through the VA, and whether or not they have an overreliance to call on family and friends for help.
Question #1: Do you need support or help?
This simple question can highlight many serious issues. If you or other family members have noticed a trend in which this elderly loved one is constantly calling friends and family for help, yet they don’t see themselves doing that very often, there is a strong disconnect between reality and their own personal perceptions.
If they answer in the negative, make note of how many times he actually does call people for help. You may need to get other friends and family members involved in this conversation, alerting you to when this elderly loved one actually did call for some type of help.
Over time, if you have more and more instances of him calling for assistance and support, it will be easier to open his eyes and make him realize just how much help he actually relies upon.
Question #2: Do you know about the Aid and Attendance Benefit?
The Aid and Attendance Benefit is available through the VA and can help potentially millions of veterans of all ages afford home care that may be absolutely necessary.
If he’s not aware of it, help him learn as much as possible about this particular pension. Even if he was denied other pensions through the VA, he may still qualify for this one because the asset and income thresholds are different for this one compared to other pensions.
Question #3: How often do you call on friends and family?
Tied into Question #1, this question actually highlights just how many times he may call for help. The first question is more about his own assessment regarding his physical capabilities.
If he underestimate just how many times he needs help and actually calls for assistance, you may be able to convince him to at least talk about the prospect of relying on an experienced and professional home care provider.
For more information and to learn about aging veteran care, contact Veteran’s Home Care at (888) 314-6075.
