For many of us in the United States, military service touches our lives, whether through family, friends, or our communities. Our veterans have sacrificed so much and genuinely deserve our heartfelt gratitude, compassion, and care. Sadly, many of these brave individuals feel isolated and face daily challenges with tasks most of us take for granted, like preparing meals, keeping up with household chores, or managing their own wellbeing.
As veterans grow older, it becomes more important to provide the support they need to remain independent at home. After years spent in service to our country, these individuals deserve dignity, comfort, and attentive care. By investing in the health of our senior veterans, we help them enjoy a higher quality of life and honor their commitment to us all.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognizes these needs and provides veterans home care funding in Clackamas, OR, to assist servicepeople and their loved ones. What many families don't realize is that long-term care options - including in-home care - are included in programs like ameriCARE's Veteran CARE services.
Today, many of our veterans are vulnerable to a variety of issues that can impact their quality of life. However, through our Veteran CARE services, we're able to provide customized, compassionate care that addresses those issues and provides families like yours with peace of mind. Whether they're returning from combat with new health challenges or simply need an extra hand throughout the day as they age, our team is here to help.
Our agency owners are dedicated to guiding veterans through the process of accessing their benefits and understanding their eligibility. This important service, available at many of our franchise locations, empowers veterans to overcome the often confusing world of entitlements. With empathy and expertise, we strive to honor veterans by delivering personalized care and knowledgeable guidance, supporting them in living fuller, more independent lives.
The VA offers valuable benefits that include coverage for home health aide and homemaker services to veterans who require help with daily living activities. Through collaboration with one of our care partners, we learned that, out of more than 8 million veterans in the VA healthcare system aged 65 and older, only about 150,000 are utilizing this support. This means fewer than 2 percent of eligible veterans are getting the care they've rightfully earned. In some cases, such as with "Aid and Attendance," surviving spouses of veterans may also be eligible for benefits.
ameriCARE is committed to linking veterans and seniors nationwide with compassionate, highly trained caregivers from their own communities. We're proud to say that our mission goes beyond care - in fact, we're happy to help guide veterans and their families through the complexities of the VA system, offering hands-on support during the entire approval process. Many of our franchise owners team members are veterans themselves, who are dedicated to ensuring you or your loved one receives reliable, personalized care at home.
Regardless of how long they served, many military veterans leave service with a litany of health issues - both mental and physical. Some of the most common problems that older veterans face after leaving the military include
Research from the National Center for PTSD reveals that as many as 23% of veterans will experience post-traumatic stress disorder during their lifetime. For some, symptoms may not surface until later years, often following retirement. Notably, the development or worsening of PTSD in older adults has been linked to an increased risk of dementia, suggesting a complex relationship between trauma and cognitive decline as veterans age.
A recent study featured in the National Library of Medicine examined the prevalence of malnutrition among older veterans receiving home-based primary care. The researchers discovered that 15% of these individuals were classified as malnourished, highlighting a significant health concern within this population. Malnutrition in elderly veterans can lead to a range of complications, such as weakened immune response, slower recovery from illness, and increased risk of hospitalization. These issues underscore the need for veterans home care funding in Clackamas, OR that helps seniors with eating and nutrition challenges.
Studies show that older veterans face a 25% higher likelihood of reporting multiple chronic health issues compared to their nonveteran peers. This trend underscores the unique health challenges veterans may encounter as they age, which often stem from service-related injuries, stress, and more.
Veterans often carry the weight of their service, having endured challenging circumstances and shouldered responsibility for the security of others. As they grow older, preserving their sense of independence becomes deeply intertwined with their mental and emotional health. For many, shifting from self-reliance to accepting help with everyday activities can be a significant adjustment.
A skilled caregiver who understands veterans' unique backgrounds can make this transition smoother. Building trust through respect for personal boundaries, clear communication, and trauma-informed care is essential to fostering a strong partnership between veterans and their in-home caregivers.
Many ameriCARE locations provide their caregivers with specialized training to better support our veterans as veteran cases can be complex and deserve tailored care.
Our caregivers offer support with meal preparation, grocery shopping, and managing dietary needs. They also encourage healthy habits and lifestyle choices, ensuring you or your loved one receives personalized nutrition and wellness guidance.
Tasks like bathing, using the restroom, getting dressed, and maintaining oral hygiene can become challenging because of aging or ongoing health conditions. Our dedicated caregivers are specially trained to assist with these personal routines and always prioritize the veteran's comfort, privacy, and self-esteem.
A tidy living space does more than promote good hygiene. It fosters a sense of comfort, security, and overall wellbeing. Our caregivers help with everyday household tasks, making sure your home remains a safe, inviting, and organized environment.
When driving becomes a challenge, whether for you or a veteran family member, our caregivers step in to help. They can handle errands such as grocery shopping, picking up prescriptions, ensuring appointments are kept, and providing reliable support for many other daily needs.
In-home caregivers from ameriCARE are dedicated to supporting your loved one's mobility and safety. From accompanying them on short walks to guiding them through physical therapy routines, we help promote regular movement and keep them engaged in activities that support their health and independence.
Our caregivers foster engagement by offering gentle support and uplifting encouragement. We create opportunities for veterans to participate in enriching activities, make social connections, and develop genuine bonds with their in-home caregivers.
We can accompany you or the older veteran in your life to medical appointments. We can also help relay any information or instructions provided by doctors.
Coping with the effects of aging, disability, or recovery from injury often involves juggling multiple medications with specific timing and dosages. Our caregivers can help ensure that you or your veteran loved one receives the correct medications at the right times, providing peace of mind while supporting overall health.
Our comprehensive care extends to beloved pets as well. We can assist with daily dog walks, feeding routines, arranging transportation for vet visits, and maintaining pet hygiene. By helping with day-to-day chores like pet care, we help enhance the wellbeing of senior veterans and their animal companions.
While many veterans have a primary care physician or a home health care professional, they may still need a real human connection beyond medical care. Veteran-funded home care can help you or your loved one maintain a more balanced life, one visit at a time. That's where ameriCARE comes in. We work tirelessly to connect dedicated, welltrained, and dependable caregivers to veterans across the United States.
If you're looking for a locally-owned home care company that provides veterans with personalized support, Request More Info today. It would be our honor to help you and your family navigate the VA and to act as your liaison throughout the benefit approval process.
Ready to get started on your journey with ameriCARE? Request More Info today to schedule your consultation and learn more information about how we can assist you or your senior loved one.
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon National Guard's 102nd CBRN, or Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Defense Enhanced Response Force Package, also known as CERFP, participated in two recent regional training exercises focused on chemical leaks, aimed at boosting preparedness and teamwork among federal and local agencies during mass-casualty emergencies.The first exercise scenario occurred Feb. 26. The 102nd Civil Support Team responded after the Clackamas Fire Department reported a forklift accident involving a tank of anhyd...
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon National Guard's 102nd CBRN, or Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Defense Enhanced Response Force Package, also known as CERFP, participated in two recent regional training exercises focused on chemical leaks, aimed at boosting preparedness and teamwork among federal and local agencies during mass-casualty emergencies.
The first exercise scenario occurred Feb. 26. The 102nd Civil Support Team responded after the Clackamas Fire Department reported a forklift accident involving a tank of anhydrous ammonia in Clackamas, Oregon. The Civil Support Team notified the Oregon Army National Guard chain of command and the 102nd CERFP of the need for additional support.
On March 4, CERFP team members assisted with decontamination procedures at Portland Providence Medical Center after a tanker truck accident on Interstate 84 that spilled 7,000 gallons of concentrated sulfuric acid onto the roadway.
“It was important to collaborate with other agencies regarding plume monitoring and to allow all our agencies to work together on a designated air monitoring exercise,” said Lynsey Amundson, the public information officer for the Clackamas Fire Department.
One of the challenges was maintaining communication across multiple agencies, both on the ground and via radio channels. Amundson said that this exercise quickly highlighted this issue.
“Getting on the same radio channels took some effort initially, but we had our radio technician there to help connect everyone to one channel so they could talk to each other to mitigate the leak,” Amundson said.
Another goal was to avoid “pre-staging’ the exercise with each participating agency. This assessed the use of the chain of command, response times and the effectiveness of each agency in using its equipment during response development.
“Demonstrating the importance of the air monitors in this exercise for the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] and the National Guard team was essential for validating how their findings aligned, as they were using real-world data,” said Morgan West, community resilience officer for the Clackamas Fire Department. “The monitors were collecting ‘zeroes’ while taking air samples every few seconds in real-time during the training period, and having this information up to date allows the incident commander to make critical decisions.”
As the firefighters suited up to ‘plug the leak,’ Clackamas Fire also launched an aerial drone over the site to monitor the response during the exercise. While each agency worked on the response timeline, the Oregon Guardsmen arrived and started setting up their rapid-deploy decontamination stations. With many moving parts, the training helped each agency understand the roles of other partners in the effort.
"We’re a bit jealous of the CERPF’s air monitoring equipment," West said. "They have some new gear we’d love to have, but it’s good to know what they can bring when there’s an incident."
The next week at Providence Medical Center, the CERFP team kicked off training with a hands-on session with decontamination equipment and procedures for almost 50 staff members. Sgt. Aaron Stiner explained each step of putting on a chemical suit as Spc. Daniella Terawaki demonstrated. Staff also asked about the best ways to stay safe while wearing the suit and to avoid cross-contamination.
One question sparked a discussion regarding how long someone could remain in the chemical suit, given the temperature and humidity.
“The time can vary based on conditions, so we look at the wet bulb temperature for wearing a chemical protective suit because it can add up to 15-20 degrees to the external temperature,” Stiner explained. “Factoring in humidity, this would reduce the time considerably. That’s why you have to check on each other’s vital signs more often when it’s hotter and muggier conditions.”
When the 90-minute class ended, the group headed toward an emergency entrance reserved for mass casualty situations. Three teams rotated through their stations. The first crew suited up in chemical protective gear while the others alternated between a decontamination site adjacent to the emergency room and a portable station set up outside.
Working with inflatable mannequins, Stiner and Carrie Guerry, the night charge nurse at Providence Medical Center, demonstrated how to remove contaminated clothing while collecting personal items for each patient at the outdoor portable station. Having taken two separate hands-on Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, courses at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama, Guerry was one of the event organizers.
“The FEMA incident management and casualty response procedures are part of this exercise. It’s allowing us to work on the same page with the National Guard today or other agencies that we would be working with,” she said, while coaching staff at the decontamination site.
At the conclusion of the exercise, participants gathered to share feedback and gauge the training's temperature.
“When everyone can relax and not have this expectation of ‘is this right or wrong way to do it,’ that’s the best way to learn because ultimately you have to be able to adapt to each situation with flexibility,” Stiner said, noting how the day's training impacted both teams.
Flood watches are in effect through at least Friday night for much of Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington due to widespread heavy rain in the region.The National Weather Service says areas west of the Cascades and north Benton and Linn counties will see the most rain as an atmospheric river passes through.Flood warnings were also issued for some areas of Multnomah County Thursday morning, including in Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and Wood Village along Johnson Creek and Beaver Creek.Flood warnings are also in effec...
Flood watches are in effect through at least Friday night for much of Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington due to widespread heavy rain in the region.
The National Weather Service says areas west of the Cascades and north Benton and Linn counties will see the most rain as an atmospheric river passes through.
Flood warnings were also issued for some areas of Multnomah County Thursday morning, including in Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and Wood Village along Johnson Creek and Beaver Creek.
Flood warnings are also in effect for the Wilson River in Tillamook County and for Grays River in Wahkiakum County.
“While the probability for mainstem river flooding is low, some of the more flood-prone coastal and Coast Range rivers have risen to minor or major flood stage,” according to the NWS area forecast discussion. “With heavy rain rates, an areal flood watch remains in effect through Friday evening.”
The heavy rain could also lead to landslides and debris flows throughout the impacted areas.
A landslide has already closed all lanes of the Historic Columbia River Highway east of Corbett.
UPDATE: The Historic Columbia River Highway will remain closed east of #Corbett between Larch Mountain Road and #VistaHouse due to a landslide. We do not have an estimate for reopening, so please use another route. Use https://t.co/SsqxkwGpZQ for updates.
— OregonDOT (@OregonDOT) March 12, 2026
The heavy rains have also led to Portland’s Big Pipe system reaching capacity on Thursday. City officials issued a combined sewer overflow advisory for the Willamette River due to increased bacteria levels.
Residents are urged to avoid contact with the river during the overflow. The impacted area includes a stretch of the Willamette River downstream of the Ross Island Bridge.
With a flood warning in place along Johnson Creek, disaster management officials in Clackamas County were keeping a close eye on the weather and river gauges Thursday afternoon.
Spokesperson Scott Anderson said county staff was monitoring the impacts of the heavy rain along with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon Department of Transportation and others. But the county’s emergency operations center had not been activated.
Heavy flooding and landslides in mid-December led to Level 3 evacuations and caused widespread damage along the Clackamas and Sandy rivers. But Anderson said this weather system doesn’t appear to be as extreme as that one was.
“Based on current forecasts, Clackamas County does not anticipate large-scale flooding like there was in December,” he told OPB. “Those in low-lying areas may be impacted as they often are in atmospheric rivers.”
He said those floods did have significant and lasting impacts, including log jams and other shifts in river movement. Some lower areas that don’t always see flood impacts could notice a difference.
“It’s almost impossible to know every single thing that changed as a result of the December floods,” he said. “If community members are experiencing a life-threatening flood, they should evacuate and/or call 911 for assistance. If it isn’t life-threatening, they can call the non-emergency number, which is 503-655-8211.”
And the county is urging people to sign up for Public Alerts, check their go-kits, to keep up with traffic alerts, and to know where the closest sandbag stations are.
Meanwhile, a winter weather advisory is still in place through 11 p.m. Thursday for the north Oregon Cascades. Up to 10 inches of wet snow could fall at elevations above 3,000 feet.
Areas above 5,000 feet could see more than a foot of snow, along with wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour.
Oregon Department of Transportation officials warn that roads could be slick and hazardous. Drivers in the area are urged to carry winter emergency travel kits, including tire chains.
“Anywhere you travel in northwest Oregon this week, be prepared for heavy rain at lower elevations and snow on the mountain passes due to the atmospheric river rainfall,” ODOT said in a press release.
And in the Cascade range of Southwest Washington, a winter storm warning remains in effect.
Heavy snow is expected to continue at areas above 2,500 feet, with accumulations of up to 18 inches possible through 5 a.m. Friday.
WES reduced flooding and improved habitat along Kellogg Creek (between SE Clackamas Road and SE Thiessen Road) by removing and/or replacing culverts and stream crossings as well as restoring Kellogg Creek.Below is a detailed list of all activities that supported the restoration efforts of Upper Kellogg Creek. Each project is outlined in the Clackamas Water Environment Services (WES) Storm System Master Plan (SSMP), which details our approach for storm system infrastructure operations, maintenance and expansion with th...
WES reduced flooding and improved habitat along Kellogg Creek (between SE Clackamas Road and SE Thiessen Road) by removing and/or replacing culverts and stream crossings as well as restoring Kellogg Creek.
Below is a detailed list of all activities that supported the restoration efforts of Upper Kellogg Creek. Each project is outlined in the Clackamas Water Environment Services (WES) Storm System Master Plan (SSMP), which details our approach for storm system infrastructure operations, maintenance and expansion with the goal of improving surface water quality and infrastructure within the WES service area.
For reference, a “culvert” is a device, usually a pipe or arched tunnel, that transports water underneath a road, railway, or other type of embankment.
Location: This project area is located west of where SE Clackamas Road crosses Kellogg Creek, southwest of Ann-Toni Schreiber Park.
The opportunity: A stream drained into an undersized ditch inlet south of SE Tidwells Way. The excess water was collected by a standard ditch inlet at the edge of a residential property and transported by storm pipes down SE Clackamas Road directly into Kellogg Creek. The ditch inlet was not large enough to capture the stream flow, especially when debris collected at the inlet. The stream exceeded the capacity of the inlet and caused flooding on SE Clackamas Road and neighboring homes.
The solution:
Location: The project area is located on Kellogg Creek, between SE Clackamas Road and SE Thiessen Road.
The opportunity: The creek was confined and restricted by ten private driveway culverts and a concrete channel. Three of these driveways crossings used narrow culverts, resulting in streamflow backing up and exacerbating nuisance flooding on Clackamas Road. The creek also passed through a pair of parallel culverts, which are not associated with any crossing of the stream. These parallel culverts impeded natural stream flow.
The solution:
Location: The project area is located on SE Thiessen Road where it crosses Kellogg Creek, just west of SE Aldercrest Court.
The opportunity: Kellogg Creek flows through an undersized (6-foot diameter) culvert which causes the creek to back up at SE Thiessen Road and flood the road and properties upstream. Due to the significant backwater caused by this culvert, the location was identified as one of the highest priority road crossing culvert replacements in the 2019 Upper Kellogg Basin Assessment prepared for WES.
The solution: WES has partnered with Clackamas County’s Department of Transportation & Engineering (DTD) on this project; learn more about this project.
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