Veterans Aid and Attendance
When an elderly family member is struggling with his or her own basic care, it can be difficult to witness and it may even be an extremely challenging topic to bring up. Some family members have certain ideas about what should happen when a parent or grandparent requires extra assistance. If the senior is a veteran, home care may be the best option, but it may also be something that takes a long time for the family to bring up.
Far too often, families become a bit over anxious, nervous, or even overzealous with regard to the decisions about proper care for aging loved ones. They take it upon themselves to make all of the decisions without first consulting the elderly individual.
The senior has the right to choose.
No matter how old the elderly individual is, what physical health related challenges he or she is facing, and other factors, that person has a right to determine what happens in his or her life.
March is International Listening Awareness Month and when the topic of home care has to be discussed, whether it’s for an aging veteran or other elderly family member, it’s important that everyone puts on their proverbial listening cap, including the senior.
One of the unspoken words about home care for anyone when they require assistance is respect. The first sign of respect is to bring up the topic of concern about his or her safety at home. There may be certain issues that have arisen that cause a person to be worried about their elderly mother or father’s safety or overall health.
By bringing up the topic first, it allows the senior to address any issues before going any further. It also provides a great deal of reverence and respect for the elderly veteran that it was discussed with him first as opposed to talking it over with everyone else in the family.
Another way to show respect is to discuss the prospect of home care from an experienced aid hired through an agency and allow the senior to provide his reasons why he might not wish to look into it. He may feel that on his limited income it’s not financially possible.
If that’s the case, he should be encouraged to contact the Veterans Administration and find out if he may qualify for the Aid and Attendance Benefit. This pension can pay $2,000 or more per month for elderly veterans who require home care.
The best sign of respect is a person’s willingness and ability to listen to what the other person has to say and desires for their own basic care.
For more information and to learn about Veterans Aid and Attendance, contact Veteran’s Home Care at (888) 314-6075.
