Roelicch, another way to find out what might be available from the VA is to start by asking them what your father is eligible for.
is your father getting any health care from the VA now? If so, contact the primary care physician's team and ask to speak with the social worker on that team. I've found this to be a good way to get advice on what else might be available.
If he's not getting VA health care, you might consider getting him qualified for that. If you're not familiar with how to start, just say so in a follow-up post here.
Your dad is a veteran which has nothing to do with medicare. The medicare rules in your state will be the same for someone who is a veteran and someone who is not. The home assistance from the VA is called Aid and Attendance. Go on the VA website and look at the requirements. They have to do with the condition of your dad and with when he served, during war time, etc. Medicare provides home health which is a bit different state by state. My mother had home health for years. Hers consisted of a nurse coming once a week to take her vitals, set up her medication, monitor her blood thinner medication and her Congestive Heart Failure. She also had an aid who helped with baths and shampoos. It's not enough service for someone who has a need for 24/7 supervision or nursing. It is great for someone who just needs to be checked on weekly. Your dads doctor would need to order the home health care. If you want to see if your dad is eligible, contact a home health agency in your area. You can find a list online on the medicare website where they are rated. You can call and discuss your dads issues with them and if they can get paid by medicare they will help you get it started. If your dad qualifies for medicaid, your state may have a program that would provide him more assistance at home. You could also call your Area On Aging and discuss your dads situation. They can send a social worker out to do a needs assessment and help you find services in your area. There is a lot of information on this subject on this site. Explore the site and other posts, If you give more information about what type of care your dad needs and the state he lives in, you might get more specific answers for his situation. Good luck.
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is your father getting any health care from the VA now? If so, contact the primary care physician's team and ask to speak with the social worker on that team. I've found this to be a good way to get advice on what else might be available.
If he's not getting VA health care, you might consider getting him qualified for that. If you're not familiar with how to start, just say so in a follow-up post here.
The home assistance from the VA is called Aid and Attendance. Go on the VA website and look at the requirements. They have to do with the condition of your dad and with when he served, during war time, etc.
Medicare provides home health which is a bit different state by state. My mother had home health for years. Hers consisted of a nurse coming once a week to take her vitals, set up her medication, monitor her blood thinner medication and her Congestive Heart Failure. She also had an aid who helped with baths and shampoos.
It's not enough service for someone who has a need for 24/7 supervision or nursing. It is great for someone who just needs to be checked on weekly. Your dads doctor would need to order the home health care. If you want to see if your dad is eligible, contact a home health agency in your area. You can find a list online on the medicare website where they are rated. You can call and discuss your dads issues with them and if they can get paid by medicare they will help you get it started.
If your dad qualifies for medicaid, your state may have a program that would provide him more assistance at home.
You could also call your Area On Aging and discuss your dads situation. They can send a social worker out to do a needs assessment and help you find services in your area.
There is a lot of information on this subject on this site. Explore the site and other posts, If you give more information about what type of care your dad needs and the state he lives in, you might get more specific answers for his situation. Good luck.
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