Choosing the right care option for your veteran loved one can be challenging and overwhelming. There are many different options to consider, and every veteran may require their own type of care. The Department of Veterans Affairs makes it a priority to help elder and disabled veterans stay in their homes, and for good reason. Veterans often prefer it, health outcomes are usually better, and home-based care relieves institutional stress from an already burdened VA health care system. As part of its long-term care program, the VA offers nine different ways to provide home-based care under the VA’s standard medical benefits package. We want to share with you these home-based care options, so you can make an informed decision about the type of care that best meets the needs of you and your loved ones.
1. Home-Based Primary Care
Under this program, a VA physician will supervise a health care team who will visit your loved one in his or her home and provide standard health services.
2. Skilled Home Health Care
This program may be a good fit for veterans who are homebound or do not live close to a VA medical facility. This type of care is usually short-term and delivered by a community-based home health agency that contracts with the VA.
3. Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care
A homemaker or home health aide is a trained person who can come to a veteran’s home and help them take care of themselves and assist with daily activities. If your loved one needs some extra assistance preparing their meals, taking their medicine, or keeping up with their personal hygiene, you may wish to consider this type of home-based care.
4. TeleHealth Care
This home-based service allows a veteran’s physician or nurse to monitor their medical condition remotely using home monitoring equipment. You can rest easy that a licensed medical professional is taking good care of your loved one, whether they are at your loved one’s home or at a healthcare facility. If the professional notices something off with your loved one’s health, they can act quickly to transport him or her to the nearest medical facility.
5. Hospice Care
Hospice Care is a type of comfort care service provided to a veteran and his or her family if they have a terminal condition, with less than 6 months to live, and are no longer seeking treatment or other forms of rehabilitative care. While receiving this type of diagnosis is devastating and overwhelming, having a facility filled with familiar professionals who will care for your loved one until the end may bring you some peace of mind.
6. Palliative Care
This is another form of comfort care, but unlike a hospice facility, it focuses on the relief of suffering and the control of symptoms so that your loved one can continue to carry out his or her day-to-day living activities.
7. Respite Care
Respite care through the VA is a program that pays for former service members to visit a veteran’s home, or for a veteran to attend a VA-sponsored program while their family caregiver takes a well-earned break. This type of care provides some breathing room for all parties involved in your loved one’s care, ensuring you each receive adequate time to recharge to be effective caregivers.
8. Adult Day Health Care
This is a support program that provides a comfortable place for veterans to go during the day and receive skilled services, case management, and help with various daily living activities. This is also a great place for your loved one to meet and interact with other veterans and engage in some recreational activities with his or her peers.
9. Veteran-Directed Care
Veterans enrolled in this program are given a flexible budget for health care services that can be managed by either the veteran or his or her family caregiver.
We know that it can be difficult to choose the right type of health care facility for your loved one. Did this article raise more questions for you than answers? Are you interested in receiving more information about a specific type of care? Do not wait to contact our office to speak with one of our experienced attorneys.