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Many Veterans need assistance at home and out in the community. Caregivers are a critical part of their care.
Join Blue Star Families in The Neighborhood to ask the experts, including staff from VA, AARP and the American Red Cross, and get all of your questions regarding caregiving as part of the ongoing “On Watch” series. Blue Star Families and AARP are joining forces to reach more Veterans, help them access their hard-earned benefits, and connect them with community resources and partners.
Beginning in May, Blue Star Families will collect questions to ensure Veterans and their caregivers have a clear understanding of all VA and its partners have to offer you and your family. This is a valuable opportunity to stay informed and feel empowered.
There are two opportunities to engage:
- The first is in The Neighborhood, where Blue Star Families will host an ongoing Q&A with experts from VA, AARP and military and Veteran support organizations through May 30, 2025. Drop your questions into the conversation, and AARP and Blue Star Families will get you answers. Check in often, as new questions and answers will be added and updated regularly.
- On May 22, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. ET, AARP and Blue Star Families will host a live event featuring experts from VA and leading military support organizations. During this live webinar, experts will answer your questions in real time. Resources and helpful information will also be share online. Join the event.
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The Caregivers Support Program (CSP) does not include veterans that reside outside the USA and its Territories. I live in Germany and my wife or anyone else is not eligible for this program. There are veterans that live all over the world that are not eligible for CSP. I get information via email, web sites and can participate in the CSP online courses. I can do computer video conferencing with CSP support personnel but I am not eligible to be in the program because I do not live in the USA or its territories. I have been denied participation in CSP as well as many other veterans that live in other parts of the world (Asia, Central and South America, etc.)
I am a veteran of Vietnam. I have my own disabilities but my wife has more serious ones. I am the caregiver to my wife. what help is available to me?
I built an app. to address all of these issues and more. Veterans, care givers, and care giver managers would be so organized, connected and protected all of these issues would be a talking point about how it was in the past. All real time information for veterans, supporting friends, family, loved ones, care givers, care givers managers, and supporting M.D. staff.
My husband, a Retired Navy Vet, started showing signs of dementia in 2019. He began being seen by a neurologist shortly after that. It became clear that the typical meds the doctor prescribed were doing nothing to arrest his disease. I began to research everything I could find on treatments. It quickly became obvious that there were very few treatments/therapies that had much to offer, but I did locate info on the relatively new Bredesen Protocol which was showing amazing results. In order to be treated in that we had to find a functional medicine doctor who was certified by Dr.Bredesen in order to get treatment. We were lucky to find one who lived not far away. My husband became a patient in this program, which required great support from me, as it has several components that I had to administer and monitor. I was happy to at least do somethings which might help him. (fyi regular insurance does not cover functional medicine. Also there were numerous tests,labs, etc.which were quite expensive in addition many thousands to stay in the doctor’s program). After 2 years of laboring to administer the program to him and paying many thousands of dollars for the extras involved, I could see no improvement. In fact, he was regressing quickly as was our ability to pay for continued treatments. So, I spoke with the doctor who said that the protocol didn’t seem to be working, and we agreed to pull him out of the program.
As time went on, taking care of him became more and more difficult. Physically,I was rundown and began needing 2 knee replacements. Because of my health and his worsening, I scheduled the first knee surgery and placed into a memory care facility. I am now awaiting my second knee surgery because although one knee is better the other has deteriorated to the point that I am in great pain and am unable to walk without a walker, cane and even then only a very short distance. Throughout my husband’s last several moths at home I had to pay for in home help to take care of him and lighten my load. I still require that help after my surgery and will need it after my second surgery which is scheduled for next week.
In the meantime, I have to pay for the facility where my husband now lives to the tune of around $7,500 per month.
I called the Patriotic Angels and another organization that helps vets get help to see if I can get financial assistance to help us, but was told we have too much money. We both worked our entire adult lives, me as a teacher and him as a retail big box manager. We saved and put away for retirement a modest amount. We live on his Social Security, small Navy pension, small retirement pension and my teaching pension. I have a modest Social Security income because teachers haven’t received but a small portion of that because they have a pension plan. Only recently has Congress attempted to make it more fair.
But, we have too much money for the VA to help us. The monetary care for someone with dementia is exorbitant. I am now in a situation which will take all our investment monies, but even that won’t be enough. I will most surely have to sell our lovely home -the home of our dreams to fund my husband’s care and pray that I’ll have enough left to care for me when the times come.
My question is this: Am I missing something in my scenario? Is there anything that can help us from the VA or otherwise? FYI my husband is 77 and I am 74
My father is 83 years old and rated at 90% VA status. He did not serve one single day during any qualifying wartime period. Can I be employed through the VA or another VA source to be his primary caregiver when the time is right? I am his 61-year-old son, currently living with him.
My husband is the veteran and uses me and others for caregiving. Is there a reimbursement program for me and others that come to care for him? Also is there a program to help with fixing things around the house?
Wife 85 providing 24/7 care for 88 yr old with 4th stage advanced heart failure. How can I get her respite care she deserves when it is so hard to find home care persons on Cape Cod?
I,AM A VETERAN BEING THE CARE GIVER , THERE MUST BE THOUSANDS OF US CARE GIVING TO FAMILY MEMBERS THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED
Ken,
I agree. I too am a veteran being the care giver. I have been told there is no support for me. Only support for someone taking care of me. I do not know who to go to or how to get this addressed. Does anyone else have any experience with this type of situation??
I just turned 70, I’ve had a liver transplant in 1977.I was just told I’ve got influzima need less to say I don’t get around like I did,back, kidney, everything hurts
How do you qualify for Champ/VA?