The good news is that home care costs are far less than the charges associated with assisted living or nursing home facilities. That being said, someone still has to foot the bill for high-quality home care– and that can be difficult for seniors living on a fixed income. Veterans Affairs benefits could be the untapped funding source you need to get the home care assistance you want.
After reviewing the following information, you can contact the Veterans Administration directly via their VA’s Caregiver Support Line —1-855-260-3274.
Veterans Affairs Benefits May Cover a Portion of Home Care Costs
The Veterans Affairs Administration (VA) offers a range of services for veterans with family caregivers. These services run the gamut from free or very low-cost adult day care agencies in your area to home-based care, depending on the individual’s needs.
If you prefer to receive care at home, helping senior loved ones remain more independent, the VA can help with that as well. Currently, some of the home care services supported by the VA include:
Home Care Aide & Housekeeping Services
Does your veteran senior loved one have a hard time keeping up with basic daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, housekeeping, meal preparation, etc.? All of these services and more can be provided by a licensed home care aide.
In addition to these basic services, home care aides can also serve as:
- Companions
- Drivers
- Errand runners
- Medication reminders
- Bill payers
- Home organizers
- Pet walkers and caregivers
- And more
You can Click Here to read more about the typical services included in home care services.
Skilled Home Care
For some seniors, getting out of the home independently is impossible, not to mention exhausting. The alternative would be hospitalization or long-term rehabilitation, yet this takes individuals out of the comfort zone of their home, as well as away from the people and things they love most. As a result, both Medicare and the VA offer financial compensation for skilled care to be brought into the home.
Skilled home care is most often administered by CNAs, LVNs, and RNs and covers things like:
- Intraperitoneal Nutrition (IPN)
- Wound care
- Catheter care
- Administration of prescription medications
- Injections
- IV care
- Assessment and management of health care plan
Often, skilled home care providers and home care aides work together to provide more comprehensive care for veterans with medical concerns that need to be treated on a regular basis.
Respite Care Services
In many case, the primary caregiver is a spouse or family member. Full-time caregiving is physically and emotionally demanding. If outside help is unavailable, primary family caregivers eventually burn out. In addition to compromising their own well-being, burned out caregivers are unable to provide quality care to their loved one. Respite care is the solution to this all-to-common problem.
Respite care can be offered on a one-time basis, or it can be provided on a weekly or daily basis to allow primary caregivers a chance to have some time off. The service provides full-time caregivers the chance to attend important social, religious or family events, observe necessary medical appointments, take a little time for much-deserved self-care and so on.
Read, Arranging Breaks From Family Caregiving, to learn more about respite care services.
Home Hospice Care
Hospice care is an amazing service, allowing those with a terminal diagnosis the ability to end their life at home or in a designated hospice care community, as comfortably and peacefully as possible. While hospice care is provided on a regular basis, it is not a full-time service. As a result, many families find it necessary to use a combination of hospice care, family caregivers and/or home care aides in order to take more comprehensive care of their loved one.
How Do We Qualify for Veterans Affairs Benefits?
All veterans qualify for these services. However, certain services may require the referral or “prescription” from the senior’s primary healthcare provider and/or a VA physician. We recommend contacting the Veterans Affairs benefits representatives to find out what is required for your specific situation.
Once you’ve found out what you qualify for, begin scheduling consultations with local, qualifying home care agencies. These consultations give you and the client a chance to get a feel for various approaches so you can select the home care providers you feel most comfortable with. Agency representatives can also provide assistance and insight as you work with the VA, Medicare and/or personal health insurance providers to help with the financial aspects of home care.
Interested in learning more about home care services in the Bay Area? Contact us here at HomeAide Home Care. We’ve provided high-quality, licensed home care to seniors in and around the San Francisco and Oakland Bay areas for decades.
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