Eldercare Options For Veterans

| Wednesday, February 5, 2014
By Kristana Jenson


If you need to find an assisted living facility or other eldercare facility for yourself or a loved one, you might be a bit overwhelmed by the whole process of selecting a suitable place. Not only can this be a highly emotional process, you also are probably trying to find a facility that fits within a specific budget and also one that includes helpful services such as housekeeping, laundry, meal service and perhaps some level of daily assistance. If your loved one is a veteran, there are facilities specifically for those that have served their country. Here is some helpful information about veterans' care homes.

There are more than 130 veterans' homes located throughout the United States. Eight of these homes are located in California, and while it might seem enough homes, the need is far greater than the availability, and many people are placed on wait lists for months or years. In Southern California, there are homes in Barstow, Lancaster, Chula Vista, Los Angeles and Ventura. There are also homes in Fresno, Yountville and Redding.

These facilities offer several different categories of care, depending on what residents need, and any veteran can apply for housing. The lowest level of care, which includes boarding and meals, is for those veterans who are independent and need no help with any type of daily tasks. Assisted living care is the next tier and this is for veterans who don't have major medical needs, but do need help getting around and dealing with chores such as dressing, grooming or bathing. Finally, for those that do need round-the-clock medical support and assistance, there is a skilled nursing level. The last level of care is perhaps the easiest one for which to find a spot simply because these veterans need immediate housing and help. In general, a spot at any level could require a wait of weeks, months or perhaps even more than two years.

In order to find a spot at a veteran's home, one must first meet certain criteria and also fill out an extensive application. The first requirements mandate that you must be at least 55 or have a disability and, of course, you must have served in the military and received an honorable discharge. If you wish to live in a facility in California, you must be a resident of the state. You also must be enrolled in a health plan that covers long-term care such as Medicare, Medi-Cal, private insurance or another type of insurance program that meets the government criteria.

The application is about 12 pages long and has three different sections. The first two are filled out the person applying for the veteran's facility. If the person is not able to complete the forms, a representative can fill out these forms. Section A is where you will put basic information about yourself including your personal information, your marital status, medical information, information about your military service and whether or not you have a criminal record. Section B is simply a form that allows the release of your medical records. Section C must be filled out by your doctor and contains a host of information about any medicines you take, what allergies you might have and what ailments you have as well as your ability to care for yourself independently.

If the whole process seems a bit too daunting, then consider contacting a representative at CarePlacement.com or another type of eldercare placement firm. The staff at CarePlacement.com and other similar companies is trained to match an individual to the most ideal facility for them. They also can be quite helpful when searching for a veteran's home and dealing with the Veteran's Administration, which can be quite frustrating.




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