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VA Caregiver Support Program

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Resources for Caregivers

Advance Care Planning 

Advanced care planning allows you to make your health care wishes known and to assign someone you trust to make medical decisions for you if you are not able. An advanced directive is a tool to document your wishes

Benefits of Advanced Care Planning:
– Allows you to have a voice in your medical care when you cannot speak for yourself.
– Caregivere or family members will not be burdened by being unsure of what you want medically.
– Distressed and emotional caregivers or family members can avoid the conflict of decision making, and can be there to support you and one another.
– Discussing these important topics can bring people closer by improving understanding of your values and wishes

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has excellent resources for Veterans, caregivers, and family members for advance care planning. Visit VA’s Making Decisions: Advance Care Planning website for more information.

Here are a few things you should know about advance care planning:

  • Advance care planning is the process of thinking about and communicating your healthcare wishes in advance of a medical crisis. It involves talking with the important people in your life about your values, goals, and preferences for care. As a caregiver, you can help the Veteran you provide care for navigate this process by encouraging them to think about their healthcare wishes and helping them document their preferences.
  • One of the most important roles you can play as a caregiver is to help your Veteran make informed healthcare decisions. You can also help your loved one communicate their healthcare wishes to their VA healthcare providers and ensure that those wishes are respected.

Advance care planning is an ongoing process. It’s important to revisit the healthcare wishes of both you and your Veteran regularly and update the advance directive as needed.

Advance Care Planning Resources:

Every adult over the age of 18 should take some time to consider the difficult questions that occur in advance care planning. Still, it is especially critical if they have been diagnosed with a chronic disease. Advance care planning provides documented directions for healthcare providers, caregivers, and family members, that support the patient’s wishes and identifies a person who can advocate for their wishes if they are unable to for themself.

Advance care planning documents are available through VA providers or by visiting Advance Care Planning - Geriatrics and Extended Care. Non-Veterans may also want to visit CaringInfo: Resources for Serious Illness & End-of-Life Care* for more information.

Need Help?

Call VA’s Caregiver Support Line (CSL) at 1-855-260-3274 to learn more about the support that is available to you, and for assistance connecting with the Caregiver Support Team, at your local VA Medical Center.

VA CSL Expanded hours:
      -Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET
      -Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET

Your local Caregiver Support Team are licensed professionals who can support you by matching you with services for which you are eligible, and providing you with valuable information about resources that can help you stay smart, strong and organized as you care for the Veteran you love.

Subscribe to receive email updates and information about VA Caregiver Support Program services.

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