Veterans require special care services after the end of their career, as they work under challenging circumstances and in hazardous places.
Although there is a health check and balance during their service, veteran care is a specialized unit meeting veterans’ unique needs.
Though not all healthcare centers specialize in veteran healthcare needs, there is an increased demand for improved care services for veterans.
They require mental healthcare services, primary clinical care, and specialty care.
To consider special veteran care, we need to understand a militant’s life during and after services. Even though they must remain physically and mentally fit during their services, the severity, the years of service, and transitioning and adjusting to civilian life can be drastic and hard to deal with.
Moreover, considering the growing veteran population in the U.S., healthcare institutions and communities must work together to strengthen veteran care.
Let us look at some ways in which this can be possible.
Providing Access
Providing better access to veterans makes it easier to cater to this population. With the veteran population more in ratio to access, it creates a bottleneck issue. By widening the care and specialized support system, we broaden our base and fulfill a demand gap.
For those suffering from chronic illnesses and terminal diseases like mesothelioma, you can find relevant guidelines and resources at the Mesothelioma Veterans Center, which offers a financial payout for veterans with asbestos exposure and low-cost treatment and wellness centers.
Veterans can be anyone, including women, people of age, severely injured, or facing trauma. To provide appropriate care for them, we first need to understand, study and implement efficient care delivery methods.
Comprehensive primary care, women’s reproductive health, and education are critical to ensuring they receive targeted care on time.
Other special veteran groups include combat veterans, rural veterans, homeless veterans, and returning services members.
All these groups have different needs in different areas in the States. Helping them with their problems on a broader scale requires coordination between the government and the local community.
Only then could they receive the help they need that is enough to start a new life on whatever path they choose.
Expanding in Telehealth
Taking advantage of technology to provide telehealth services quickens the process of consultation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth faced increased demand from veterans.
It has been instrumental during mental health counseling and virtual meetings with support groups.
However, the U.S. still needs to invest more in this sector to uplift and upgrade it enough for easy access and simultaneously accommodate millions of people.
By 2020, veterans accounted for 1,000% of telehealth video appointments, with 25,000 attending in a single day. In 2019, the total telehealth encounters by veterans were 7 million.
According to Vantage Point, this figure will keep growing year after COVID-19. Fulfilling this demand gap requires investment and growth in the telehealth sector. It will not only help veterans but also help uplift the overall U.S. economy.
Tracking Access to Care Data
Tracking veteran care data includes the average wait time, care satisfaction, cost comparison between different facilities, and more.
Providing access to this data to veterans will help them select their suitable treatment center or care facility.
A data-driven approach that focuses on care quality, compassion, timely access, and whether their needs are filled in time can provide a better picture of the overall care quality.
Such is the performance measures used by different facilities. For veterans, catering to a large pool of demand, in addition, will require a systematic data structure.
It can quicken access to care through a combination of virtual and in-person care. It will ensure timely and quality care to the veterans.
Offering Transport Facilities
Veterans may require transport to get to care facilities around their town. It could be because of age, a severe injury, disability, or distant locations.
Although there are such facilities, they are not very common and not available throughout the U.S.
Therefore, a specialized transport facility for veterans can make their already tough lives easier. Just as public transport offers special seats to the disabled, veterans also require special transport facilities.
It could be a joint initiative between the government and the transport companies to make it central and widely available.
Educate
Educating the veterans’ families and close friends regarding their care is just as crucial as providing direct veteran services.
Families play a more significant part in a veteran’s life when they look forward to civilian life. Engaging and indulging the families in programs and gatherings helps them understand what kind of life they used to live and how to help them transition to a new one.
Most people who help families understand veterans belong to a veteran family. Such are the people who have themselves witnessed a veteran’s life transition. They can also identify military spouses and reservists who can play a crucial role in educating others.
Alternatively, try talking to the affected veterans and try to understand them before devising a care plan.
A caregiver or a veteran care specialist must not skip this step before consulting with their families. It is essential to understand their needs to provide better care for them.
Educating others also helps spread awareness among the community members. Community leaders and veteran groups can collaborate to develop a plan that benefits all its members. Coming together in this way will solve half the veterans’ problems.
Conclusion
Providing exceptional care to veterans requires understanding their needs. Veterans include a variety of groups with women, severely injured, and people with special needs. All these groups require different care methods.
In addition, they all require assistance to transition from military to civilian life smoothly. It can get challenging to do on their own.
The government and community members must unite to establish specialized care units for the veterans and make them easily accessible throughout the U.S.
Meanwhile, current veterans can take advantage of available resources, especially for the veterans. These can help them make their transition more seamless.
