Even though the war in Iraq is over and the news outlets aren’t talking much about the soldiers still risking their lives in Afghanistan, that doesn’t mean that we need to stop thinking about what they do, and what all veterans have offered this country. Memorial Day is right around the corner and that means it’s a good time to be talking about home care for veterans.
When people think about veterans home care, they might not think about much more than what the Veterans Administration offers them. In other words, it’s easy to assume that the VA will be able to provide the right accommodations and care for aging veterans. However, that’s not the case.
There are many budgetary limitations that the VA has to contend with and that has led to a significant decrease in the amount of money that they can offer veterans. Even wounded soldiers returning from the battlefield in Afghanistan are having a tough time finding the right level of care through the VA.
So while Memorial Day is intended to honor the men and women who served and who gave their lives in defense of this nation, it’s also a time when we should be talking about giving our living veterans the proper level of care that they require.
The VA does offer what is called the Aid and Attendance pension that can provide monetary assistance to veterans to help pay for home care for them. This can allow them the opportunity to remain in their home, to be as comfortable as possible, and to still be able to hire a professional caregiver to support them for a certain amount of time during the day, or week.
While the Aid and Attendance pension is available to all veterans who have some disability or requirement, for those under 65, they would need to have been disabled during their time in service. For seniors over the age of 65, they need only have a doctor recommend that home care is essential, and then the veteran would need to meet other basic requirements.
While we’re planning our picnics and other family functions for the Memorial Day weekend, let’s not forget what this day is about, and also think about those aging veterans who served our country, especially those who served during a time of war. For when those veterans require home care, this country owes them at least that.
For more information and to learn about Aging Veterans Care, contact Veteran’s Home Care at (888) 314-6075.
