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 Eagle Creek, 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 Eagle Creek, 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.
After decades of waiting for river otters to make an appearance in Eagle Creek Park, a wildlife tracker spotted an unmistakable path of paw prints in the reservoir's northern mudflats late last October, confirming at least one otter had trekked through the area.Since the sighting, park staff have been searching for more substantial evidence the otters are nearby. Now, they have video proof.A glossy-brown river otter was spotted poking its head up out of the Eagle Creek Reservoir on the morning of Mar. 12. Mark Hiskes, a member ...
After decades of waiting for river otters to make an appearance in Eagle Creek Park, a wildlife tracker spotted an unmistakable path of paw prints in the reservoir's northern mudflats late last October, confirming at least one otter had trekked through the area.
Since the sighting, park staff have been searching for more substantial evidence the otters are nearby. Now, they have video proof.
A glossy-brown river otter was spotted poking its head up out of the Eagle Creek Reservoir on the morning of Mar. 12. Mark Hiskes, a member of the Eagle Creek Park Foundation board, caught the creature on video while taking an early-morning walk with his dog, Rocky, along the park's bird sanctuary trail. Hiskes told Eagle Creek Park staff that he did not want to be interviewed about the video he captured.
The pawprints were clear. But this animal hadn't been seen here beforeThe sighting is further confirmation that North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) — a species once hunted to local extinction in Indiana for their fur — are once again thriving in the state. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources reintroduced the species into Indiana waterways during the 1990s, and the efforts were so successful that the state removed the species from Indiana's endangered species list in 2005. But, until recently, otters hadn't been spotted inside Indianapolis's largest park.
Eagle Creek Park surrounds a man-made reservoir, and some park staff had wondered if the shoreline was too open to entice otters, who tend to prefer lush riverbanks, dense with plant life that offers ample spots to hide.
Last week's sighting proves the park appeals to at least one otter in search of food and shelter.
"It's a sign about the health of the ecosystem in Indiana and the quality of the water that it's able to support river otters," Dawn VanDeman, the manager of Eagle Creek Park's Earth Discovery Center, said. "That they finally migrated and found their way here is a good sign."
Otters have voracious appetites, and they eat creatures like mussels, crawdads and, to the chagrin of some local anglers, fish.
But VanDeman said she's not worried now about the impact otters might have on the area. It's possible that otters could favor prize fish populations, but they could also go after the invasive snails infiltrating the reservoir.
"Right now, we have one otter confirmed," she said. "I don't suspect that he's going to have much of an effect on the ecosystem as a whole. But if we get a large population and reproduction, then that may be something we'll have to monitor."
To keep tabs on wildlife populations, the park has a system of camera traps. VanDeman said the park will also hold a BioBlitz in May, in which scientists and researchers will see how many species of mammals, fish, birds, plants and macroinvertebrates they can find in one day.
"All of it's intertwined," VanDeman said. "The more information we have, the better decisions we can make down the line."
VanDeman has a few tips for locals hoping to spot one of the aquatic creatures:
Otters are most active at dusk, through the night and until dawn. Seven days a week, Eagle Creek Park is open from 7 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Aspiring otter viewers might have the best chances of spotting one of the mammals right when the park opens, around the time that Hiskes and his dog stumbled across an otter there last week.
"For most wildlife observation, you want to stay quiet and try not to disturb things too much," VanDeman said, recommending that hikers bring binoculars, stick to park trails and move quietly. "And if you see an otter, obviously, don't approach it or try and chase it. Just watch from a distance."
IndyStar's environmental reporting is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Sophie Hartley is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach her at [email protected] or on X at @sophienhartley.
Neighbors are protesting a proposal to send millions of gallons of water from Eagle Creek Reservoir to the LEAP district.INDIANAPOLIS — Calls to stop the LEAP district from using water from Eagle Creek Reservoir are growing louder.The intersection at 56th Street and Reed Road are getting loud for a change. Protesters gathered Friday, Feb. 27 in opposition to a proposal to divert reservoir water to the LEAP Innovation District in Boone County."Get their attention," one protester told 13News as she held up ...
Neighbors are protesting a proposal to send millions of gallons of water from Eagle Creek Reservoir to the LEAP district.
INDIANAPOLIS — Calls to stop the LEAP district from using water from Eagle Creek Reservoir are growing louder.
The intersection at 56th Street and Reed Road are getting loud for a change. Protesters gathered Friday, Feb. 27 in opposition to a proposal to divert reservoir water to the LEAP Innovation District in Boone County.
"Get their attention," one protester told 13News as she held up a sign to drivers. "That's the best we can do."
Residents say they're concerned about plans to send up to 25 million gallons a day to LEAP, drawn from multiple sites within central Indiana.
Eagle Creek is one of those sites, where designs will pull 1-3 million gallons per day into the treatment plant; this is on top of the plant’s current daily withdrawal of 10 million gallons for drinking water.
"This isn't the right way to handle our water, and they need to make some better choices thinking about the longevity of our community," another protester told 13News.
While the conversation has been centered around the amount of water that is being drawn from Eagle Creek into the LEAP district, neighbors say their biggest concern is the wastewater that is being pumped back into the reservoir. Environmental advocates say that's a cause for concern, particularly on contaminants.
Lebanon Utilities is handling the wastewater and says water that goes back is treated and regulated under the Clean Water Act.
As Citizens Energy continues to hold in-person information sessions on the project, neighbors tell 13News they aren't lowing their voices anytime soon.
"The message (is) that there is an issue, and we need our community to step up and speak out against this, and we're continuing to raise awareness by doing this today," protester Rachael Wolverton said.
Since the river otter was removed from the endangered species list in 2005, Eagle Creek Park has been patiently waiting for them to show up at Eagle Creek.INDIANAPOLIS — UPDATE: Indy Parks & Recreation shared video with 13News of an Eagle Creek Park Foundation board member seeing an otter swimming at the northwest Indianapolis park Thursday morning, March 12. Click here to watch the video.Nathan Young stops at Eagle Creek Park several times a week to poke around and catch a glimpse of who’s been...
Since the river otter was removed from the endangered species list in 2005, Eagle Creek Park has been patiently waiting for them to show up at Eagle Creek.
INDIANAPOLIS — UPDATE: Indy Parks & Recreation shared video with 13News of an Eagle Creek Park Foundation board member seeing an otter swimming at the northwest Indianapolis park Thursday morning, March 12. Click here to watch the video.
Nathan Young stops at Eagle Creek Park several times a week to poke around and catch a glimpse of who’s been walking around the park. He’s a professional tracker through Tracker Certification North America.
“In trackers, we call it reading the morning newspaper," Young said. "You come out and see who’s doing what.”
Three times now, he’s found river otter tracks with their five digit, large webbed feet. It’s the first time they’ve been spotted at Eagle Creek Park.
“You’re just moving along, looking at all the tracks and the marks on the ground, and you stumble into an animal that’s never been documented in an area before,” Young said. “That’s pretty cool.”
In the mid-1900s, the river otter was considered locally extinct in Indiana due to loss of habitat and lack of hunting and trapping regulations.
In 1995, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources began reintroducing them. Between 1995 and 1999, it released 303 river otters throughout 12 counties in northern and southern Indiana.
They were removed from the state endangered species list in 2005, according to Geriann Albers, the furbearer and gamebird program leader with DNR, who believes there are now 8,500 to 9,000 in all 92 counties.
Eagle Creek Park has been hopefully and patiently waiting for them to show up at Eagle Creek.
“They’ve been kind of doing exploratory movements coming through the White River and stuff like that in Marion County for a little while now,” Albers said. “It’s exciting that they’re starting to get back into the park and the big reservoir and stuff.”
Eagle Creek Park is a man-made reservoir, established for flood control into Speedway and as a drinking water source for Indianapolis, Donna Riner, the assistant park manager with the Ornithology Center said.
“The creation of a reservoir is incredibly damaging to the valley and where the creek originally flowed because it was dammed to create that reservoir," Riner said. "So it's taken about 50 years to reestablish itself as a stable ecosystem for creatures like the northern river otter to show up."
The river otter is a sign of a healthy ecosystem because they inhabit areas with healthy, high-quality water, Riner said.
They’re finding signs of the otter rolling and establishing territories but haven’t spotted them in the water yet. They’re typically more active at dawn and dusk and throughout the night and likely wouldn’t be spotted during the day. They’re not sure how many river otters could be inhabiting Eagle Creek Park.
“The three times that we’ve seen them, it’s been an individual trail, so just an individual otter, which makes sense for them,” Young said. “You typically have dispersing individuals, most likely male, that’s dispersing through just looking for new territory.”
River otters can cause damage, especially to small fish ponds or fish hatcheries, according to DNR. They’ll take a bite out of the Eagle Creek fish population, but Riner believes it will keep the fish population healthy, saying the otters will go after the sick, dying fish.
Eagle Creek Park welcomes visitors to keep their eye out for the river otter but reminds not to disturb any wildlife living in the park.
Residents and Eagle Creek advocates are raising concerns after the Lebanon City Council approved an ordinance creating a water agreement with the LEAP Innovation DistrictLEBANON — Lebanon residents and Eagle Creek advocates expressed disappointment after the Lebanon City Council passed an ordinance creating a water agreement between the city and the LEAP Innovation District.Advocates' main concern is that a portion of the ordinance, specifically section 9, would allow both parties to negotiate for more water in the future...
Residents and Eagle Creek advocates are raising concerns after the Lebanon City Council approved an ordinance creating a water agreement with the LEAP Innovation District
LEBANON — Lebanon residents and Eagle Creek advocates expressed disappointment after the Lebanon City Council passed an ordinance creating a water agreement between the city and the LEAP Innovation District.
Advocates' main concern is that a portion of the ordinance, specifically section 9, would allow both parties to negotiate for more water in the future.
"We offered common-sense amendments like a public process. People had a lot of concern because this is allowing the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to change the water withdraw," Megan Anderson with Protect Pike Township said.
This comes as Citizens Energy is working to renegotiate its agreement with the City of Indianapolis to pull water out of Eagle Creek. Citizens Energy has stated publicly that it will provide 25 million gallons a day to Lebanon Utilities, nothing more than that.
Indianapolis City-County Councilor Dan Boots worries that Citizens Energy isn't being transparent with either city, due to this ordinance just passed by Lebanon Monday night.
"The MOU specifically says that IEDC may go back to CEG that they can ask for more water, but they have expressed to us that they will not do that ever," Boots said.
Residents want a say in any future decisions about water withdrawal and are calling for transparency from Citizens Energy Group.
In response to the vote, Protect Pike Township is hosting a Walk for Water on Saturday, March 14, at 10:30 a.m. Those in attendance will walk across the Eagle Creek Reservoir Bridge to advocate for protecting local waterways from the LEAP industrial site. For more information, click here.
You can also learn more about Citizens-Lebanon Water Supply Program, here.
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