It’s no secret to any American who pays attention to the efforts of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan that many are returning home to a grateful nation with serious or multiple injuries. But did you know that besides November being the month that Veterans Day is celebrated, the Department of Veterans Affairs is commemorating “National Family Caregiver Month” in November, too?
In a November 8th statement, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki noted, “these mothers, wives, fathers, husbands and other loved ones make tremendous sacrifices to be there every day for the Veterans who served this Nation. They are our partners in Veteran health care and they deserve our support.” VetsFirst couldn’t agree more.
How important are family caregivers to veterans? To be perfectly candid, this veteran would not be typing these words on his PC were it not for my wife’s caregiving this, and every, morning and most evenings. A survey released just before Veteran’s Day confirms the importance of our caregivers. Conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the United Health Foundation, it determined that 96% of veterans’ caregivers are women, compared to 65% women caregivers among the general population. What was more startling to me, however, was the same study’s finding that 70% of veterans’ caregivers are either spouses or partners, but in the non-veteran population, only 6% of caregivers are spouses or partners.
This survey also confirmed that the growth among veterans needing caregivers is accelerating fastest among younger veterans. Among those veterans injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, 26% of caregivers are the parents of the disabled veteran.
The recognition by Congress and President Obama that returning OEF/OIF troops with serious injuries will require lifelong caregiving, coupled with the growing aging population among veterans from earlier conflicts, led to the enactment last May of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, a law which VetsFirst staff advocated strongly for. As urged by VetsFirst, the legislation includes at least some supports for caregivers of veterans from all eras. Caregivers for eligible veterans of all eras will have access to education sessions, support services, counseling, mental health services and respite care. The legislation also provides certain caregivers of OEF/OIF veterans who have a serious injury, such as a traumatic brain injury, with a monthly stipend and access to medical care.
I guess it was just good karma when, on November 17th, I received an e-blast from the U.S. Administration on Aging, informing me that they were celebrating the 10th anniversary of their National Family Caregiver Support Program, and that they have officially designated the next year as the “Year of the Family Caregiver.” Whether you are an aging disabled veteran of an earlier era of conflict like me, a seriously disabled OEF/OIF veteran, or a non-veteran who simply wishes to enjoy the retirement years in dignity, caregiver resources are available. For VetsFirst’s part, let us celebrate the “Year of the Family Caregiver” by monitoring the implementation of the new veteran caregiver program authorized by Congress to make sure it is helping our caregivers sufficiently enough for them to help us without burning out.
by Terry Moakley