Additional Assistance Available for Veterans

Caring for aging parents and loved ones can be difficult under any circumstance, but challenges often multiply when dealing with a unique population segment – veterans. According to the National Alliance for Caregivers, caregivers of veterans are twice as likely to remain a caregiver for 10 years or longer, and are often unable to retain a job while providing adequate care for their veteran. With stress and pressure stacking up, these caregivers – often the adult children or even grandchildren – may wonder where to turn for assistance, and may be unaware of resources that are available for veterans.

For these caregivers who are no longer able to provide the amount and quality of care their loved ones need, the Aid and Attendance benefit can be a huge help. This benefit, provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, helps to offset the cost of rent in assisted living communities for veterans and their spouses. Aid and Attendance is not a new benefit, but many of those who are eligible are unaware of what it can provide.

As a brief summary, veterans may qualify for up to $1,644 monthly and surviving spouses may qualify for $1,056 monthly to assist with rent at an assisted living facility. For a couple (married veteran and spouse), the benefit is $1,949.  There are also benefits available for the spouse of a veteran, even if the veteran is still alive but will not be living in the assisted living facility.

Information on Aid and Assistance is available through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and many assisted living facilities.  I urge veterans and their caregivers in need of assistance to contact them or us for additional information.  Plantation South will be conducting a free information session on the Aid and Attendance benefit on July 28 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.  For information and to register, call (770) 884-4636.

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Susan Tidwell is executive director of Plantation South Duluth (www.plantationsouth-duluth.com), an assisted living residential community in Duluth. She can be reached at 770-623-0617 or ED.DUL@smacommunity.net. Plantation South Duluth is managed by Senior Management Advisors (SMA), a leading operator of full service independent living, assisted living and Alzheimer’s care residential communities in Florida and Georgia.