Re: N.S. veterans’ plight echoed nationwide

by Guest Fri 17 Apr 2015, 20:21

Yes indeed, a step in the right direction.

I mention nursing homes in my earlier post - I'm right in the middle of placing someone into a nursing home, and what I will say is that the cost is blowing my mind, it sure has made me look at my own situation for down the road, the cost are high a lot higher than I thought, yes some maybe entitled to provincial subsidy's, but even with subsidy's, it's costly, very costly.

by 6608 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 19:43

Here is one MPP's solution in Ontario for LTC for Veterans
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2015/04/16/mpps-bill-gives-ltc-bed-preference-to-veterans

Cheer's

by **bigrex** Fri 17 Apr 2015, 18:01

Veterans still have to pay to stay at Camp Hill. it isn't a free ride. I'm not sure how much, but they still pay. And there are non Veterans in the VMB as well. The province has the third floor to fill as they see fit. I can't remember if it was the full floor, or just one wing, but they do not pay the same as Veterans, and do not get the same level of protection as the Veterans. Security has all the info and picture of each Veteran, so if one goes missing, Security is informed right away and they conduct an extensive search, until the Veteran is located. This happens more that one would think. The civilian residents had no such system in place.

by Guest Fri 17 Apr 2015, 17:11

pinger,

I seen that on the news yesterday ( CTV ATLANTIC ) it sounds like the NDP from NS wants to open camp hill to all Veterans, but want the Federal government to pay for it, which I think is only right, as we fall under the Federal Dept.

It's a strange thing when I was living in Halifax I often wondered each time I passed camp hill when someone would bring up this very point, now that it's brought up I think moving in this direction would be good for some Veterans.

I would also hope that all Veterans that do reach the time in their life when nursing homes becomes the next step in their life, that all Veterans who are receiving benefits from being disabled are able to afford a good quality nursing home where they can spend the rest of their days in a sound quality facility.
Nursing homes are not cheap, I think this is just another reason why the government has to ensure that all Veterans who are receiving benefits are receiving enough in their disability pensions to be able to afford a good quality nursing home.

Let's face it, most of us will eventually need to go into a nursing home, and the more medical needs required, the more expensive it will be.

by pinger Fri 17 Apr 2015, 15:42

A 78-year-old NATO veteran and former paratrooper and an 80-year-old navy veteran used a prominent Halifax landmark as a backdrop Thursday to highlight their struggles to receive long-term care.
Ernest Campbell, 78, and Robinson Blackhurst, 80, spoke at a news conference in front of Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building.
Blackhurst has been in the transitional care unit at Dartmouth General Hospital since he had a stroke four months ago. He lives at the hospital and can’t return to his home.
Although Blackhurst is a proud veteran, he says he “somehow doesn’t qualify” for care at the Camp Hill.
“I never thought I’d end up in this position,” he told the crowd.
However, many veterans across the country are in similar circumstances, said Peter Stoffer, the federal NDP veterans affairs critic.
Currently, long-term veteran care facilities only allow veterans from the Second World War and Korean War to receive care. The federal guideline dates back to 1966, when the Medical Care Act first came into effect and there was no health plan for veterans at that time.
“That policy still remains, and now we see the unfortunate decline of our heroes of the the Second World War and Korea. They’re passing rather quickly because of the aging process,” Stoffer said. “We can see a litany of empty beds across the country.”
He said that those empty beds should go to any veterans who need them, regardless of when they served.
“Once that uniform comes off, the duty of responsibility and care from the government of Canada does not end.”
In response, Martin Magnan, press secretary for Veterans Affairs Canada, wrote in an email that “the province of Nova Scotia owns and controls the Camp Hill hospital and has the ability to admit any veteran, including those that have served beyond the Second World War and Korean War, should they choose.”
However, Stoffer said although the province owns and manages the Camp Hill building, it is the responsibility of the federal government to administer health care to veterans.
“For the veteran community, (funding) is a federal responsibility.”
Nova Scotia can’t afford to pick up the tab, he said.
“For them to turn around and say the province could admit them any time they want, who’s gonna pay for that?”
Rollie Lawless, who served in the military for 20 years and has post-traumatic stress disorder, is the director of veterans outreach for Atlantic Heroes, an organization that provides housing and support to those who have PTSD.
For Lawless, the fight to open up the hospital to all veterans is an emotional one. Dale Graham, a fellow veteran and friend of his, died last fall.
“We tried hard to get him in (to Camp Hill),” Lawless said. “He was a victim of Agent Orange. Tens of thousands — if not hundreds of thousands of people — that were sprayed by that chemical, in Gagetown and other places in our country, could use facilities like this now.”
He also said that other facilities that do not specialize in treating veterans aren’t equipped to effectively handle their complex needs.
“There is no place for them to go. … They have to be assimilated with everyone else. Been there, done that, walked out without getting help because I didn’t feel comfortable.”
Lawless said Camp Hill would be the perfect environment for veterans to receive physical and mental care.
“I believe that (Camp Hill) possess the potential to become the salvation for veterans that are suffering. If all veterans were allowed through these doors, there would be less suicides, and there would be less trauma inflicted upon and families.
“There would be more retention instead of release, and we could treat people in a caring environment where they could get the health care they need, rather than forcing them to go back home with a bottle of pills.”

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1280986-n.s.-veterans%E2%80%99-plight-echoed-nationwide

pinger.

by Sponsored content