Thursday, December 29, 2016

A Good Veterans Story

Always hearing about another crisis at the Veteran's Administration regarding health care one feels compelled to share a very good story about a Veteran and excellent health care.

And that would be my mother.......

Yes, it is true and not to be dismissive of issues other Veterans have had about life and health but our situation is really something to write about.

My mother is only 100.

Apparently the best thing she ever did was to join the Navy in 1943 and serve as a secretary at Pearl Harbor as the war ended.

She loves to tell the story that her boss came along and said get all of the papers in order as the war has ended.

She only served for two years bun her benefits have been magnificent.

We got together about two years ago as her health was diminishing as far as living alone and needed just a touch of assistance.

She knew of her benefits but really had not investigated them at all and I had heard of the financial benefit and was hoping that would apply to us as we needed a few dollars more each month in order to make ends meet as we began combining our households.

She already had health care with medicare but we signed up in the Mission Valley office of San Diego thinking there may be opportunities for her we just were not aware of such as senior activities.

I must mention her primary care physician Dr. Jagasia as she and her staff, Marlee, her nurse have gone out of their way to help us.

My mother kept falling yet she was alert and still needed something to do and keep her mind operating at a fast pace.

We found out about the Glenner Day care facility through our PACT social worker Raquel Alva.

It was wonderful for my mother to go there three times a week.  My mother had friends there, yes the staff, and she looked forward to her days there and wanted to get there early.  They sing all of the old songs she knows and celebrated her birthday and had a Veterans pinning ceremony.

These things are so important as most of the folks and family she once had are gone.  I really appreciated their services--they cared about my mother and also it was expensive.  This was paid for by the VA.

We also had Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapists that came to our house on a regular basis to assist with mobility after her fall and to assist with nutrition.

We also had a nurse that came to our house two hours a day three times a week for respite care.  This was also paid for by the VA.

I did apply for the financial benefit which we did end up receiving but this did take time and require a lot of paperwork.  This part was a tad confusing but I just kept up with it as I thought we did qualify from my research.

The money each month was a giant help.  Thank you to the VA for giving us money.

As my mother's health required more assistance--oh, she broke her other leg at 99--we applied for the Veterans' Home of California at Chula Vista.  This is an extensive application but Shannon at the VA home and Gwen were very helpful in guiding me in completion of the paperwork and getting it all together and telling me exactly what we needed.

Now, my mother is in the VA home in Chula Vista and the care she receives there is excellent--they go out of their way to take good care of her.

I like it because it is in a beautiful setting and they are very welcoming and friendly and the lunch is only four dollars.  We can eat lunch together on a regular basis.

It would be nice if everyone could see how lovely this skilled nursing facility is and how lucky my mother is to be there.

Please keep in mind that coincidentally we live near all of these facilities and as a lady my mother's waiting time to get in the Veteran's home is much shorter than most men.

The price is very affordable comparatively to other nursing homes and the care is the best.

Just wanted to let you know what the VA has done for us and again not trying ton make light of any negative effects other patients have experienced.

Also, when I was trying to get my mother back into the Glenner and the VA home after she broke her leg Dr Jagasia even went out of her way to help us and called me at home on more than one occasion to get info to complete a form to expedite her acceptance.

Just wanted to share this very good story of the Veterans Administration and the care they provide.  Always hearing the negative on the television maybe someone would like to hear our experience.


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