If you or somebody you know provides caregiving for a veteran, VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System has programs and resources that may help.
Joni Morin, Caregiver Support Coordinator for Nebraska/Western Iowa Healthcare System, says they recognize how important the care loved ones provide to veterans is. Morin says they currently work with 502 caregivers, and she suspects there are more who could be receiving services. She says they have quite a variety of programs to choose from.
“We can give them respite care. We have an online support group, we have a telephone support group. We have peer mentoring for our caregivers. We also have, if a veteran is eligible, bath aides that come in and help. We have homemakers; we have adult daycare. So, there’s lots of benefits. I don’t think that all of our caregivers realize that there is a wealth of resources that they can tap into at the VA.”
Morin says caregivers of post-911 veterans might qualify for the Comprehensive Family Caregiver Assistance program, which provides qualified caregivers a stipend and health insurance if they don’t have it. She says the majority of caregivers who qualify for this program are family members.
Morin says all veterans involved with their programs receive quarterly home assessments by a nurse or a social worker to ensure they are still eligible.
The VA caregiver support hotline number is 1-855-260-3274 or the website is www.aging.com.