Every step of the way
A loving smile, financial management and assistance with daily living. These are just a few of the ways the caregivers who dutifully look after the Veterans in their lives provide aid.
Francine Wolf, the daughter of 104-year-old Army Veteran Maurice Zolkower, is one such caregiver who has benefited from the bevy of resources available at the Bay Pines VA Medical Center (BPVAMC).
“The Caregiver Support Program (CSP) has all the resources you could think of. It’s amazing, I love it,” Wolf shared. “For those not involved, I would say call and talk to a social worker and find out how you can attend.”
The CSP is a national program that offers clinical services to caregivers of eligible Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care. The program’s mission is to promote the health and wellbeing of family caregivers through education, resources, support and services.
“The caregivers need a lot of support in order to take care of—at minimum—themselves and the Veteran,” said Ariana Bautista, program coordinator. “The types of support services we provide are really critical when the caregiver needs a break or they need some help in order to maintain their and their loved one’s goals.”
Additional caregiver support
In addition to hosting a monthly orientation about the program, BPVAMC’s CSP provides a variety of caregiver-focused events. Since connecting with the program nearly a year ago, Wolf has been connected to nearly 30 diverse offerings, ranging from sound baths that focus on holistic self-care to workshops on how to care for a loved one living with PTSD, a topic that hits close to home for Wolf.
“My father was involved in the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp, which really impacted him,” Wolf shared. “He only started talking about these experiences when he turned about 90. Now that he’s nearly 105, I think his PTSD is compounded.”
Bautista understands the toll a loved one’s diminishing mental capacity can have on their caregiver. It is for this reason that she remains committed to ensuring that families like Wolf’s feel uplifted.
“Veterans’ families are hidden heroes. They’re not the ones that are the focus of appointments, but they [need to be included too], and that’s what our program does,” Bautista shared. “I feel honored and lucky to serve them. They’re really a wonderful population to work for and to work with.”
Learn more about VA’s Caregiver Support Program.
This article was originally published on the VA Bay Pines Health Care site and has been edited for style and clarity.
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It is a great and wonderful program, until the person you are caring for passes away and then it is crickets! Not a message, a phone call to see how you’re doing. Zero resources.
Can a spouse of a VET get home care if the VET is 100% disabled and have deceased? If so, what documents do I need as the representative to ensure the spouse receives this care?
God Bless them all for taking the time to help us veterans.
I wish they offered some support for caregivers whose vet has been placed in a nursing home. Care giving doesn’t end when the vet is moved. There is still driving many miles to visit vet/spouse–for their mental health as well as care giver’s, gas and car maintenance expense. They still have to keep tabs on their care, medications, diet, appointments etc. My vet was placed 40 miles away. I had to get a different car in order to make trips there and back. Still need to shop and provide clothing and any other request vet may have. It would be nice if the VA would contract with local nursing home….no one seems to know why they won’t.
In general the VA does NOT provide a complete support system for ALL caregivers. The VA offers NOTHING to veterans who are taking care of their non-veteran spouses. The VA expects these veterans to go out into the community to get any type of support or respite from caring for their NON-veteran spouses!! and likely pay for it out of pocket!!