For some Veterans, the greatest need isn’t just medical care, it’s a place to belong. The Orlando VA Healthcare System’s (OVAHCS) Medical Foster Home Program provides Veterans who can no longer safely live alone with 24/7 care in a private home setting, offering an alternative to nursing homes and institutional care. The program serves Veterans with complex medical needs who require daily assistance but still want the comfort, dignity, and independence of a home.

“This program allows Veterans to live in a warm, family-like environment while receiving personalized, around-the-clock care,” said Laura Merry, Medical Foster Home Coordinator at the Orlando VA Healthcare System. “It supports not only their physical health, but their emotional well-being.”

Instead of rotating staff and long hallways, Veterans live in caregivers’ homes, where care is consistent and deeply personal. Each placement is carefully matched based on medical needs, personality, and preferences to ensure a supportive environment for both the Veteran and caregiver.

Caregivers undergo extensive screening, background checks, home inspections, and ongoing training. Once a Veteran is placed, the Orlando VA provides continuous support through an interdisciplinary care team that includes medical providers, nurses, and social workers.

“We conduct regular home visits,” Merry explained. “Caregivers are never alone in this.”

For caregiver Carmensita “Carmen” Niles, opening her home to Veterans has been a calling for nearly 15 years.

“This isn’t a business; it has to be personal,” Niles expressed. “You have to bring them in as family.”

Niles’ home is just that, a family. Veterans share meals, attend appointments together, celebrate birthdays, and enjoy outings to restaurants and community events. The goal, according to Niles, “is to create a sense of normalcy and belonging”.

“Medical foster homes are different,” Niles said. “They’re not just staying here; they belong here.”

That sense of belonging has been life-changing for Veterans like Bradley Carter, a U.S. Army Veteran who entered the program after experiencing homelessness.

“I was on the street,” Carter shared. “Coming here was the answer to all my prayers.”

Today, Carter has stability, consistent medical care, and a place he calls home.

U.S. Army Veteran Robert Finley, who served in Vietnam as a flight engineer, said the program gave him more than care; it gave him a connection.

“It’s like family here,” Finley said. “Carmen takes great care of us, and we look out for each other.”

For John Waymire, a Navy Veteran who served from 1960 to 1968, the Medical Foster Home Program was lifesaving.

“This program saved my life,” Waymire stated. “I had nowhere else to go.”

Beyond stability, Veterans in medical foster homes often experience improved health, fewer hospitalizations, and a greater quality of life. Research shows that Veterans in medical foster homes live, on average, five years longer than those in institutional settings.

“This program is truly life-changing,” Merry expressed. “It offers Veterans dignity, comfort, and the care they deserve, and gives caregivers a meaningful way to serve those who served our country.”

Veterans or community members interested in the Medical Foster Home Program can visit here to learn more.

The Orlando VA Healthcare System’s (OVAHCS) Medical Foster Home Program

PHOTO: Veterans in the Orlando VA Medical Foster Home Program share a moment with caregiver Carmen Niles and program coordinator Laura Merry, highlighting the power of home, care, and connection.

Joseph Nunez serves as the Public Affairs Specialist at Orlando VA Healthcare System