Tim, a Vietnam veteran living in San Diego, said that he “felt like he’d been kicked to the curb” before Qualicare entered his life. A U.S. Marine with two purple hearts, Tim worried that his healthcare needs put an undue burden on his beloved wife Mabel. Fortunately, this year Qualicare was able to acquire a contract to help care for Tim and his family by partnering with Veterans Affairs, granting this military family the comfort they deserve.
For the past year, Qualicare San Diego has worked to acquire contracts with Veterans Affairs —and has been able to serve over 30 military families. Linda Larson, a Nurse Manager at Qualicare San Diego and Qualicare’s home office, calls the contracts “a win-win situation.” San Diego is a home to many veterans, including those in Larson's own family. “We understand the sacrifices, and we were first in line when the VA was giving out contracts,” she said.
Though veterans can receive in-home caregivers for free through the VA, the quality of care is often not as high as it should be. According to Larson, a young veteran who was paralyzed said that Qualicare was the first agency who sent out a nurse. The VA contracts have “made a huge difference in our business,” Larson said. “I’m thrilled to be able to send caregivers who are well-trained and well-vetted.”
Additionally, since Qualicare embodies the 360 degree service model, the varying needs of military families are covered. Veterans' spouses often need support too, and in Tim’s case, he made sure Larson knew Mabel was a priority. “She’s the love of my life!” Tim said. Today, caregivers support Mabel by making sure she has healthy food to eat and is feeling well, while they ease the every-day burden of caregiving.
Qualicare can give, for free, the same high-caliber services to veterans as to people who can pay out of pocket. “We believe that our veterans have given so much, sacrificed so much for us, this is one small way we can give them the care they need in older age,” Larson said. Since many veterans don’t have excessive financial resources, being able to serve them through a top-notch agency is life-changing.
Like many government programs, there are some “hoops” to jump through in order for veterans to get linked up with Qualicare and obtain the proper amount of care. Thankfully, Qualicare takes care of all the paperwork for veterans, and will advocate for their patient to the VA once they have met. In one case, Larson said that a patient initially only received 16 hours per week of free home care, when in reality he needed about 50. Qualicare successfully advocated for the patient, and he was granted more hours through the VA.
Giving veterans one-on-one attention is vital to their well-being. “We go toe-to-toe to fight for more hours,” Larson said. When a patient goes off home care and into a VA facility, they have a higher likelihood of dying quickly. This is because there is less personalized care, and nurses and caregivers are extremely busy. “When you have home care, you have someone to attend to your needs, 24/7” Larson said.
The other great element of home care with Qualicare is consistency and attention to the whole person. Some veterans, for example, need mental health support as a result of military service. “Someone from the VA who comes out once per month might not see the need for counseling, or other support,” Larson said. “We’ll report to the VA additional things that patients need.”
Every year, Qualicare participates in the San Diego Veterans Day festivities. Caregivers at Qualicare also include veterans, who take part in the celebration. “Our caregiver JJ is a decorated soldier and every Veterans Day he wears his full dress uniform at work! We’re equally proud of our caregivers who are on our team who are vets. It’s an honor,” Larson said.
Last November, Qualicare San Diego highlighted clients Herman and Annine, both veterans, in celebration of upcoming Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in Canada. In this moving video, Larson says, “To Herman and Annine, and all the veterans out there, thank you for your service and sacrifice, and Happy Veterans Remembrance Day.”
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