June 2, 2024 - By Jeff Jardine - Caring for the elderly is in CalVet’s DNA. It can be traced back to the opening of the Veterans Home of California-Yountville in 1884; and is flourishing today at all eight Veterans Homes located across California.
The quality care that is provided to senior veterans at Yountville — which is slated to open a new skilled nursing and memory care facility next year — and the seven other CalVet Homes is one of several examples of how CalVet honors and serves veterans during Older Californians Month and throughout the year.
During Older Veterans Month, CalVet is focusing especially on honing the range of benefits and services that are designed specifically to meet the needs of aging veterans.
However, while Older Californians Month honors those citizens 65 and above, CalVet knows that many of our veterans struggle with mental health issues and homelessness long before they reach Medicare age. They need specialized support now, and CalVet is looking at new ways to provide it.
That’s why in 2023, CalVet awarded $20 million in Veterans Support to Self-Reliance (VSSR) Pilot grants among several nonprofit organizations that are testing various service models providing enhanced health-related supportive services for veterans aged 55 years and older.
The program embodies CalVet’s vision of ensuring our veterans “are the most connected, protected, and respected veterans in the nation.”
“California’s homeless population is getting older, with adults 50 years and older representing the fastest growing segment of the homeless population,” said Roberto Herrera, CalVet deputy secretary for Veterans Services. “Individuals experiencing homelessness have also been shown to experience accelerated aging, presenting early onset of frailty and other geriatric conditions at younger ages then their housed peers.”
CalVet is looking for new ways to provide services for veterans aged 55 years and older.
When aging veterans need a higher level of care than available in permanent supportive housing, they are referred to nursing homes or assisted living, an option that some veterans are reluctant to choose, preferring to remain in their long-time neighborhoods and communities.
Recently, four nonprofits received grants: U.S.VETS, Swords to Plowshares, Nation’s Finest, and People Assisting the Homeless (PATH). Collectively, they assist veterans in six areas of California — from Sonoma County in the north, to San Diego County in the south.
“The VSSR Pilot works to provide service providers with the necessary resources to increase the level of care within supportive housing, to ensure the veterans remain stably housed, and age in place with dignity,” Herrera said.
Earlier this month, representatives from U.S.VETS, attended the National Council on Aging’s Age and Action Conference in Arlington, Virginia. They highlighted the VSSR program in their presentation, citing the example of a veteran who fought during WWII and Vietnam, but endured mental health struggles and alcoholism that contributed to his spending 55 years in prison. He connected with fellow veterans through a peer program that is funded by the pilot grants; he survived cancer; he has been sober for five years; and he is now supporting other veterans in need.
CalVet’s Veterans Services Division monitors the program. Even though it is in its relative infancy, the program has already enrolled 337 veterans. The early returns show that consistent engagement and outreach efforts are effective in breaking down veterans’ reluctance to accept support.
The grantees are using a mix of mental health specialists, peer specialists, nursing specialists, transportation specialists, and service assistants to aid with activities of daily living and other health-related social needs.
“We want to show that community-based organizations have the adaptability, knowledge, and expertise to provide the level of care required to meet the needs of California’s homeless veterans throughout their life course,” said Herrera.
VSSR provides an opportunity to help aging at-risk veterans even before they join the 65-over ranks we honor in Older Californians Month.
To learn more about the VSSR program, visit www.calvet.ca.gov/VetServices/Pages/Veterans-Support-to-Self-Reliance.aspx.
Source: CalVet
