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Social Support Activities Lead to Better Quality of Life As One Ages
How important is social support as a person ages? This may seem like an easy question to answer. Most people would not choose isolation and loneliness versus spending time with companions. However, can lack of social support really hinder a person’s overall quality of life?
Lack of social support is related to negative impacts on health and well-being, especially for older people. Having a variety of positive social supports can contribute to psychological and physical wellness of elderly individuals. Support from others can be important in reducing stress, increasing physical health and defeating psychological problems such as depression and anxiety.
When considering who provides social support for an elderly individual our first thoughts are of family members. While it is true that most support does come from family members, there are many circumstances in which family members cannot be supportive (stress due to responsibilities, illness, death, financial problems, job relocation). In the United States the fastest growing age group of individuals are those 85 years and older. Due to this fact, family supports will inevitable decrease for these older individuals. A need for community-based services is more important now than ever before.
Community-based services can be extremely useful for elderly individuals. Services for older persons can encompass many areas, but one of the most important areas as discussed previously is social support. … Read More »
It Has Been a Year Since We Filed for Aid & Attendance for My Father
It has been a year since we filed for the Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit for my Father-in-law, John. He is still comfortably situated in his assisted living apartment and recieving good health care from the staff. An important document that our Vetern Consultant let us know about was a form called the “Eligibility Verification Report” (EVR) which VA sends at the begining of the year and must be filled out every year in order to continue receiving benefits.
After my initial help with his original application John was the only one to recieve correspondence from VA, so I asked him to start watching for any letters from them starting in December. He received the form in January. We gathered all of our receipts from his Assisted Living and other medical bills to sum up the correct amount that he had paid that year. The original application could only be an estimate, so this new form establishes the actual amount he is paying. We did not need to send in the receipts, but we filed them away in case VA wanted to see them for proof.
It was very helpful to have our Consultant answer any questions and make us aware of this very important form. Many people are not aware that once applied for and receiving the benefit the “EVR” has to… Read More »