Please keep this in mind as we launch into today’s column: DON’T KILL THE MESSENGER! – Besides, “open season” on columnists doesn’t begin until October 15th, which is the same day that “open enrollment” for Medicare Part D begins. Go figure.
Certainly, I’m no stranger to mixed reactions; anytime I go on about this-or-that program or service I know I can expect at least some thank-you’s and a few “That-didn’t-work-for-me-worth-a-____’s!” (Some comments are more…colorful than others), but nothing – Absolutely NOTHING! – Is as guaranteed to garner both as anything relating to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). None of that withstanding, I’m going to do it, anyway, because it might do some people some good who could stand to have some good done for them, so boldly going where I wish I didn’t have to go:
I’m looking at a press release from the VA that says that, as of May 9th of this year, “eligible post-9/11 Veterans” who elect to receive their care at home from a primary Family Caregiver could help those caregivers receive some additional help and support. There is no explanation of what the phrase “eligible post-9/11 Veteran” means.
Evidently, eligible Veterans and Service members can designate who their “family caregivers” are, and said caregivers might be eligible to receive a stipend, mental health services and access to health care insurance, if they don’t already have it. The press release says that you can call VA Caregiver Support Coordinators at 1-877-222-8387 for assistance with the application process or go to http://www.caregiver.va.gov/ and download a copy of the application (VA CG 10-10) or, I suppose, both. I’d do both.
I don’t want to sound too facetious here; in my world, if there’s anyone who deserves all the help they can get, it’s “caregivers,” whom I define as “…somebody who is taking care of somebody who needs to be taken care of, whether they like it or not.”
I have no idea how the VA defines it.
So, why not? If this even sounds vaguely like you to you, give these folks a call and talk it over; besides, there are probably some other services for caregivers of Vets that none of us have ever heard of. The worst that can happen is…nothing.
OK, since I seem to be a glutton for potential punishment on the 26th day of May, and there’s still five months to go before “open season,” I might as well charge headlong into the other guaranteed “trigger topic,” Privacy!
One of the greatest “secret weapons” we have in my business are those little “panic button gizmos” that you can hang around your neck or wear on a bracelet or wherever, then push the button if you need help. They are generally referred to as “Personal Emergency Response Systems.” (Note: Do NOT take them off before getting into the shower! That’s where you need them the most!)
Generally, they all work pretty much the same way, in that when you push the button, it sends a message to a Call Center who then tries to call you back to see what’s up (or down) or call for help. They work remarkably well; however, a long-standing drawback has always been that they only work in and around your home, because they’re tied into your phone line.
What seems to be happening more and more is people have the unmitigated lack of foresight to actually leave the house! – Or, worse…travel! Have they no shame? Well, regardless, up to recently if you were on-the-road, you were on your own, but that’s changing – Quickly.
One such product is MobileHelp, which you can check out at http://www.mobilehelpnow.com/ or call 1-800-800-1710. It works pretty much the same way the traditional PERS units do, but it has a separate device that can be used to summon help from anywhere; what’s more, it contains GPS technology, so you can locate Mom wherever she is.
Beginning to see my problem?
Here’s another: ActiveCare’s “Personal Assistance Link” (http://www.activecare.com/ or 1-877-219-6628) provides mobile, one-button access to a 24-hour call center for help or roadside assistance or directions or…And, YES: GPS technology AND fall-detection capability, in case Mom takes a dive on the road – And it functions as a simplified cell phone so she can make calls.
One more: A company called “SecuraTrac” has a product called “LifeTrac MobileProtector” that does all the same stuff (GPS, fall-detection) and, probably, other cool stuff. Check it out at http://www.securatrac.com/ and/or 1-888-973-2872.
AND, many of today’s cell phones have a GPS tracking chip built in! Don’t know? Call your service provider and ask, or see if it can be added; then, you could get free tracking software, so you’ll know where Mom is via your computer or cell phone, by going to http://www.buddyway.com/ or http://www.glympse.com/ or www.google.com/latitude
Do I think these things are a bad idea? No! I think they’re a GREAT idea! And I think a lot of the “kids” will think they’re a great idea! The only “problem” is that there is always the occasional “mom” here and there who isn’t so wild about having the kids know all about her whereabouts, all the time. To each, their own.
Did I mention that I’m relocating to Tahiti on October 14th?
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