The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Vets in need of caregivers have another alternative
Korean War veteran Stewart Breeding figured he’d spend the rest of his life alone when his wife, Jettie, died in 2016. He moved into a nursing home and was lonely.
Fast-forward to last month — his 86th birthday — when Breeding walked into Donna and Bennie Nolan’s dining room in Ashland, Kentucky, to find balloons, a red-white-and-blue chocolate cake and a roomful of people wishing him a happy birthday.
The Nolans are his foster family. Shortly after he moved into a care center, the couple picked him up and took him home with them as part of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Foster Home Program. It’s an alternative to nursing home care for veterans who cannot live independently.
To Breeding, everyone who gathered around the table to celebrate that afternoon is now family.
“I want to live here with Donna and Bennie until the day I die,” Breeding said. “I love everything about this family. It’s a great place to be.”
The program, which started in 2008, operates in 44 states. The Nolans are among 700 foster-care providers looking after about 1,000 U.S. veterans with chronic conditions.
Each family participating in the program is allowed to take in up to three veterans, provided they meet foster guidelines and have enough room, said Dayna Cooper, director of home and community-based programs for VA. The agreement is a long-term commitment, and the veterans often live in the foster home for the remainder of their lives.
In addition to Breeding, the Nolans care for Larry Davis, 70, and Golden Asbury Dick, 73, both of whom served during the Vietnam War. The Nolans and other foster families are paid a stipend averaging $2,400 a month per veteran, which is set by care providers and the veteran, and is generally less than what a long-term-care center would cost.
The fee is paid by the veterans through their benefits and Social Security, and some use personal funds. About a quarter of the veterans enrolled in the foster program are eligible for nursing home care that is fully covered by VA but prefer to pay for the foster program because they want in-home care, according to VA.
Veterans who enroll in the program also receive at-home visits from doctors, counselors and occupational therapists, but, most important, said Bennie Nolan, 68, they get to experience family again.
“It’s an honor to have them living with us,” said Nolan. “Nurturing has always been a big part of my life, and Donna’s life, too.”