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<\/a>Instead of rotating staff and long hallways, Veterans live in caregivers\u2019 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.<\/p>\nCaregivers 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe conduct regular home visits,\u201d Merry explained. \u201cCaregivers are never alone in this.\u201d<\/p>\n
For caregiver Carmensita \u201cCarmen\u201d Niles, opening her home to Veterans has been a calling for nearly 15 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t a business; it has to be personal,\u201d Niles expressed. \u201cYou have to bring them in as family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Niles\u2019 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, \u201cis to create a sense of normalcy and belonging\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical foster homes are different,\u201d Niles said. \u201cThey\u2019re not just staying here; they belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was on the street,\u201d Carter shared. \u201cComing here was the answer to all my prayers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, Carter has stability, consistent medical care, and a place he calls home.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like family here,\u201d Finley said. \u201cCarmen takes great care of us, and we look out for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
For John Waymire, a Navy Veteran who served from 1960 to 1968, the Medical Foster Home Program was lifesaving.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis program saved my life,\u201d Waymire stated. \u201cI had nowhere else to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis program is truly life-changing,\u201d Merry expressed. \u201cIt offers Veterans dignity, comfort, and the care they deserve, and gives caregivers a meaningful way to serve those who served our country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Veterans or community members interested in the Medical Foster Home Program can visit here<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n The Orlando VA Healthcare System\u2019s (OVAHCS)<\/a> Medical Foster Home Program<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Joseph Nunez serves as the Public Affairs Specialist at Orlando VA Healthcare System<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For some Veterans, the greatest need isn\u2019t just medical care, it\u2019s a place to belong. The Orlando VA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":216531,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[98627,320,49563,6319,139,141,140,31606,12841,24366,3393],"class_list":["post-216530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-foster-home","tag-home","tag-lives","tag-medical","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-orlando-va","tag-program","tag-va","tag-veterans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}