Veterans Perspective: Aging Services

Empowering Veterans, Their Families, and Caregivers

Discover Our Long Term Care Initiative

We believe in the power of community and the importance of working together to achieve our goals.

At VCI, we aim to improve aging services education to veterans, family members, and caregivers through community outreach events, health awareness programs, and providing informative services at veteran service locations.

Seeking Support Elsewhere

The mission of Mercy Medical Angels (MMA) is to remove barriers to medical care with transportation on the ground and in the air. MMA’s visions is to ensure that no one is ever denied medical care because they don’t have transportation. Visit www.mercymedical.org to learn more and to request assistance.

VCI is happy to support MMA’s efforts to serve the Veteran community with medical and recreational transportation needs. Our focus with this partnership is to support Veterans in Cambria and Somerset county areas. Connection or relation to service is verifiable through a DD-214. Submit an application directly through the website or contact our office for assistance. Please note that applications need 21-day lead time. There is no limit for submitting requests for transportation assistance (i.e., flights, gas cards).

____________________________________________________________________

Did you know? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, offers an online tool called MyHealthfinder, which houses evidence-based information and resources to help you navigate through a variety of healthcare needs, including what routine screenings you may be due for. To learn more about this tool, visit https://health.gov/myhealthfinder

Get Involved

Our communities rely on proactive members, volunteers, and providers for essential services and support. We welcome all inquiries.

Advocating for Health and Wellbeing-Focused Collaborations.

We are looking forward to bringing these events to the community. If you would like to see this event at your American Legion, VFW, or other venue, use the CONTACT US form below. Also, don’t forget to check out our calendar for our upcoming events.

Workforce Development and Enrichment Curriculums

One of our goals is to share staff, community, and volunteer education opportunities for cultural diversity, basic knowledge of health services, and supporting clients and loved ones in healthcare.

We are proud to share that Pennsylvania Highlands Community College (PHCC) is an active educational institution that provides these enrichment courses in various formats. Such course topics currently available through PHCC are the Aging and Health Bundle, Helping Elderly Parents, HIPAA Compliance, the Nutrition and Health Bundle, and several more.

In addition, PHCC offers training courses for the following topics: Understanding Long-Term Care, Cultural Sensitivity in Aging Services and Long-Term Care, Critical Thinking in Aging Services and Long-Term Care, Ethical Characteristics in Aging Services and Long-Term Care, Veterans Aging Services and Long-Term Care, Navigating Aging Services and Long-Term Care: A Guide for Veterans, and Foundations of Addiction Counseling.

Learn More About PHCC

Dementia, Alzheimer's, and Other Diseases Educational Resources and Support Networks

Below are a few of the many resources available where people can find more information regarding diseases and care needs that affect some of our older populations. We advise you to do your due diligence when performing your own research. Always talk with your trusted healthcare providers before assuming diagnosis, or making decisions regarding changes to care or routine.

Alzheimer's Association: www.alz.org/

Alzheimer's Foundation of America: www.alzfdn.org/

American Geriatrics Society: www.americangeriatrics.org/

American Parkinson Disease Association: www.apdaparkinson.org/

Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration: www.aftd,org/

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation: www.cjdfoundation.org/

EduMed: www.edumed.org/

Cognitive Impairment Online Guide: https://www.edumed.org/resources/cognitive-impairment-education-guide/

Ethnic Elders Care Network: www.ethnicelderscare.net/

Family Caregiver Alliance: www.caregiver.org/

Huntington's Disease Society of America: www.hdsa.org/

Lewy Body Dementia Association: www.lbda.org/

National Institute on Aging: www.nia.nih.gov/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living: www.acl.gov/

2024 Alzheimer's Association Facts and Figures Special Report

Hard Copy Materials, Links, and Training

Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. (AVVA) has an incredibly helpful document called The Paper Safe that is available to Veterans and the public which can be used as a tool to help centralize vital information that is required for long-term care and after-death support for Veterans and their beneficiaries (i.e., VA benefit documentation checklist, estate administration, funeral plans, assets).

AVVA website link: https://www.avva.org/papersafe.html

To download The Paper Safe directly, visit 2023_fillable_for_website.pdf (avva.org).

Thank you to AVVA for allowing us to share this resource on our platform!

For Veterans, Veteran spouses, Veteran caregivers, family members of Veterans, or Veteran peers:

We work with the American Red Cross to provide CPR/First Aid training to encourage people to have confidence and know what to do in the event of an emergency at home or out in the community. If you are interested in receiving CPR/First Aid training, please visit this link*: https://forms.gle/e5nLJTETmhVan1sb6

Please note that in-person group sizes must have a certain number of participants. In addition, in-person trainings may be limited due to instructor availability. Virtual training options are available. Please indicate your preferences in the form.

Cognitive Impairment Online Guide

In honor of Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month this June, EduMed is spotlighting a vital resource to support the understanding of cognitive impairments. This comprehensive guide is designed to provide valuable information and strategies for issues related to cognitive impairments. Many of us have friends and family members with cognitive impairment and it's vital to identify issues early and give support.

Guide Link: https://www.edumed.org/resources/cognitive-impairment-education-guide/

This guide offers detailed insights into various types of cognitive impairments, tips for stopping or slowing impairment, and effective strategies to support friends and family members with these challenges. It also includes resources for people to create inclusive environments. Please feel free to share this guide amongst your networks!

Aging Resources