What help is available for my veteran father (87) coming home from VA hospital with Alzheimer's and dementia?

As was mentioned, Agingcare has a good booklet on veteran's benefits. Click on the Veterans Benefits Guide below under free resources.

I know getting help is slow which is terribly hard on people who need help now. Hopefully a combination of talking with the discharge person and following advice in the guide will help you.

Take care,
Carol

Talk to the discharge coordinator at the hospital. They can help make arrangements for needed equipment and home care.

I hope there is someone who is there 24/7 because it sounds like he will need that. Home care can come in an hour a day under Medicare, unless you get the elderly or handicapped waiver, which would pay for a couple of hours a day. the VA may pay for more hours a day, if he has a disability/need directly related to his military service. You need to know if he has a service related disability because he should get a $ pension for that as well. (maybe a couple of hundred a month, but every bit helps). If he is truly wheelchair bound and can't transfer alone, he should not go home unless there is someone with him 24/7 who can transfer him without hurting themselves. I agree that the social worker needs to help you, or in my position, I am a nurse who does the discharge planning, and I would help with that. Getting the equipment is easy, it's the physical help that is harder to arrange.

Contact the VA for Aid and Attendance, a program that could provide him with a monthly pension that would help pay for home care aides( caregivers) and even adult day care. Lots of paperwork, need to document income and any non-reimbursed medical expenses like health insurance premiums, co-pays, home care adult day care etc.Yes, Medicare does pay for a number of things as described by others above. Best wishes to your dad and family on this life journey.

There should be a hospital social worker who can help set these things up for you

Check out AgingCare.com regarding Veterans assistance.

Go to the bottom of this page, where in the blue area, it says "Veteran's Benefits." Click on that.

I hope you'll get a response on this soon. I know that there are resources for Veterans, but I don't know much about that. I'd get it all arranged before he comes home though. Who's home is he coming home to and who is going to take care of him?

Medicare will purvide hospital bed, wheelchair, and bedside commode. Get his doctor to write RX's for those three items, plus home health aide for bathing, physical therapist to attempt to recover walking skills, occupational therapist to inspect home and give advice, and social worker to help you make an overview plan. All of that will be covered by Medicare other than the co- payment.

The VA hospital social worker should be able to lay out your options for in home, veterans home, and skilled nursing home care. Also ask to speak with a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) with the American Legion, VFW, or county. The VA can be a big help but it takes patience. Document everything. Best to you and your father. Thank you for his service.