Transitioning to Assisted Living: A Guide for Veterans and Their Families
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a report on aging veterans, noting that around half of the 16.5 million veterans living in the United States are seniors aged 65 and over. While assisted living communities are often an excellent choice for seniors in the general population, there are additional advantages specific to veterans that families should be aware of as they consider transitioning to assisted living.
High-quality assisted living communities, like BridgeWater Assisted Living, are proud to work with veterans and their families, providing services and amenities tailored to their needs. The following guide outlines the steps to help ease the transition, the benefits of assisted living for veterans, and some of the veteran-specific resources and financial assistance that might be available.
How to Ease the Transition to Assisted Living for Veterans
When you’re preparing to move yourself or a loved one to an assisted living community, there are several important steps that can make the transition smoother.
Assess Needs and Preferences
The first step is to assess your loved one’s needs and ask about their preferences. What kind of services would improve their quality of life? Could they use some assistance with activities of daily living (e.g., bathing, dressing, medication management) or transportation? Where would they like to live? Do they prefer access to an urban area, or are they more interested in scenic deserts or mountains? What is a reasonable budget?
Research Assisted Living Communities
Once you’ve determined what you’re looking for, it’s time to research communities in the desired location. Online searches can get you started, but it’s crucial to schedule in-person tours as well. AARP has compiled a helpful checklist of questions to ask when touring an assisted living community. It’s also a good idea for veterans and their families to ask whether they accept VA benefits, have experience working with veterans, or have any veteran-specific resources or specialized services.
Personalize Living Space
Creating a warm, inviting living space filled with much-loved and familiar items can help your loved one feel at home faster. Be sure to include photographs, art, books, comfortable furniture, plants, and anything they need to pursue their hobbies and interests. Finding an assisted living community with pet-friendly apartments, like BridgeWater Assisted Living, is vital if they have a pet.
Coordinate Care
When you first move into your chosen assisted living community, staff will conduct a comprehensive medical assessment to familiarize themselves with your healthcare needs. To facilitate this process, have copies of all prescriptions and medical records from healthcare providers and any VA personnel or case managers you might be working with, as well as their contact information, readily available. Ensuring your new home’s staff has access to all this information helps ensure continuity of care for you.
Benefits of Assisted Living for Veterans
Assisted living communities have a lot to offer seniors interested in stress-free living. However, certain aspects of assisted living might be particularly beneficial for veterans and their families. To begin with, the care provided is highly personal and individualized. Based on the initial assessment conducted when you or your family member first moves into the community, staff creates a personalized care plan. As you might expect, your medical history, health care needs, medications, and dietary and exercise recommendations are considered. You might not expect that your personal and family history, preferences for social interactions, hobbies, and interests also play an important part.
This attention to individual details helps staff truly get to know each resident, which can be exceptionally helpful for veterans who might have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or service-related injuries. Having trained staff familiar with their history gives them the confidence that they will receive the compassionate care they need and want.
As part of that personalized care plan, residents can focus on the activities that appeal to them. All residents in assisted living communities can enjoy various social activities like game nights, movie nights in the media room, sing-alongs, and art classes. For veterans, though, having access to social opportunities with other veterans with similar life experiences can be incredibly fulfilling.
In addition to personal care plans and community involvement, high-quality assisted living communities offer a wide range of services and amenities to encourage holistic wellness of mind, body, and soul. At BridgeWater Assisted Living, for example, veterans can take advantage of assistance with things like activities of daily living, medical care and physical therapy to address service-related injuries or health conditions, chauffeured transportation to medical appointments and recreational outings, housekeeping and linen service, and exercise classes tailored for every skill and mobility level.
Individualized care, a community of like-minded veterans, and services and amenities that address veterans’ unique needs mean that assisted living can be an excellent resource for veterans and their families.
Financial Resources Available for Assisted Living for Veterans
Paying for assisted living for veterans can seem daunting at first. Thankfully, several veteran-specific financial resources are available.
Veteran’s Benefits Planners
Working with a veteran benefits planner can be very helpful. They can educate you and your family on all of the VA benefits available eligibility requirements and help you navigate the application process. The American Council on Aging provides all the information about how veteran benefits planners can help and where to find one near you.
Aid and Attendance Benefit
Veterans and their spouses who need assistance with activities of daily living might be eligible for a monthly benefit known as the Aid and Attendance Benefit. This tax-free benefit can be used toward the costs of long-term care in assisted living for veterans.
VA Healthcare Benefits
When veterans enroll in VA healthcare, many healthcare services are covered. They may also be able to use their benefits to help pay for some of the medical care they receive in long-term care and assisted living.
VA Disability Compensation
In some cases, veterans might also be eligible for VA disability compensation. These monthly, tax-free payments can help defray some long-term care costs. Loss of range of motion, PTSD, hearing loss, back pain, and other health conditions might be covered.
If you are a veteran, their spouse, or other family member interested in learning more about assisted living for veterans, please contact us today. We would love to get to know you and discuss how we can best serve your family.