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 Scappoose, 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 Scappoose, 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.
It wasn’t what they’d hoped for to start the week, but it was the best they could’ve left with afterward.The Scappoose boys basketball team defeated Molalla 67-56 on Saturday, March 14, and in the process claimed the fourth-place trophy at the OSAA 4A State Basketball Tournament in Forest Grove.The Indians were led by Brayden Miller and Will Kessi, who combined to score 26 points and grab 12 rebounds.Miller — who scored 17 while pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out seven assists — sai...
It wasn’t what they’d hoped for to start the week, but it was the best they could’ve left with afterward.
The Scappoose boys basketball team defeated Molalla 67-56 on Saturday, March 14, and in the process claimed the fourth-place trophy at the OSAA 4A State Basketball Tournament in Forest Grove.
The Indians were led by Brayden Miller and Will Kessi, who combined to score 26 points and grab 12 rebounds.
Miller — who scored 17 while pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out seven assists — said that while the outcome was far from perfect, it was a pretty good way to end things after a disappointing loss to La Grande in the quarterfinals.
“First place was the goal, but I’m definitely going out happier than we ended Thursday,” Miller said. “Honestly, last year, we just rolled over. This year, we finished with two wins after that first loss, and that’s a great statement for the program going into the future.”
The Indians were the tournament’s top-seed to start and had eyes on a state title when they arrived Thursday afternoon. As a result, it would’ve been easy to go through the motions in Friday’s consolation game against St. Helens and their matchup with Molalla, but Miller said that despite the disappointment of their opening loss, it helped that they were playing their rival in that first consolation game.
“We got here at 8 a.m. yesterday and everyone’s spirits were down, but we were playing St. Helens, right?” Miller said. “They beat us twice during the regular season, so it felt good to beat them by 30.”
Scappoose led 19-13 after a quarter against Molalla and got scoring from six different players in the process.
Molalla responded in the second quarter and took a one-point lead to the half, but the Indians outscored Molalla 17-11 in the third quarter to take a five-point lead, the final three of which came from a Kessi three-pointer at the buzzer.
It was more of the same in the fourth quarter as Scappoose got 12 points from Kessi and Miller, in addition to three points from Trever Olsen and Elijah Greenan Biggs, and two from Nolan Lennox to open things up and cruise to a double-digit win.
Coach Robby Backus couldn’t help but be proud of his team and the manner in which they conducted themselves over the tournament’s final two days.
“I was so impressed with how they bounced back,” Backus said. “They could’ve folded. We did last year. We were upset we didn’t make it further, so we just kind of caved. But this year we bounced back to beat St. Helens, then kept our composure today. They continue to impress me.”
The coach went on to speak to the team’s everyday demeanor, along with what they and their tenure at Scappoose has meant to the program.
“This group will go down as arguably one of the best teams, skillwise and in leadership, that we’ve had in awhile,” Backus said. “The juniors are all leaders, but the seniors have really built this program the last couple years and kind of put it in a really good spot moving forward. It’s been fun to coach them.”
And Miller? He was just proud of what they accomplished and the experience as a whole.
“This was a great season,” Miller said. “I enjoyed every moment with the team. I had so many new friends, I learned a lot as a person and as a basketball player, and I’m just proud.”
Scappoose scorers included: Kessi 19, Miller 17, Olsen 9, Greenan Biggs 7, Lennox 6, Drew Butler 5, Sam Morris 2, Eli Holm 2.
It was a good week to be a fan of Columbia County sports.In the wake of the state wrestling championships that saw the area claim multiple state champions, the Scappoose and St. Helens high schools’ boys basketball teams earned spots at the upcoming 4A state tournament with playoff wins Friday night, March 6.The No. 1-seeded Indians defeated Klamath Union 61-48, and head coach Robby Backus said his team played as well as he could’ve hoped.“The team played as good as I could have imagined,” Backus ...
It was a good week to be a fan of Columbia County sports.
In the wake of the state wrestling championships that saw the area claim multiple state champions, the Scappoose and St. Helens high schools’ boys basketball teams earned spots at the upcoming 4A state tournament with playoff wins Friday night, March 6.
The No. 1-seeded Indians defeated Klamath Union 61-48, and head coach Robby Backus said his team played as well as he could’ve hoped.
“The team played as good as I could have imagined,” Backus said. “Defensively, we played hard and aggressive without fouling, and offensively, we drew a lot of fouls and ultimately made our free throws. We’d been stressing all week about the importance of free throws in the playoffs, and it’s paying off. The fouls and free throw disparities were what got us the win.”
With the win, Scappoose advanced to the 4A state tournament scheduled for March 12-14 at Forest Grove High School.
The Indians qualified for the state tournament last season also, but lost their opener, and their consolation game as well. With that in mind, there was pressure for the returning players to get back to the event, but Backus said they were unfazed such.
“I think the kids were just really excited to play a home playoff game (the first one in a while if you exclude our play-in game two years ago),” Backus said. “I didn’t sense any nerves at all which was impressive. We were loose all week and excited to play.”
Scappoose will face La Grande in the quarterfinals on Thursday, and while Backus knows little about the Eastern Oregon team, they have his respect based on what little he’s seen.
“From what I can tell, La Grande looks good,” Backus said. “They’ve got a few really good guards that always seem to make the right play, and two posts that can easily score double digits. However, I think we match up really well against them. Also, being so close to Forest Grove, we’re hoping to get a good turn out.”
Either way, Backus is excited for his team’s opportunity, and believes last year’s experience can only help them this season.
“Of course getting a taste of it last year will help,” Backus said. “Most of the core players were on the team last year, so they know what to expect. And not to mention the coaches are all a little more experienced too. It’s such a fun week of basketball and I know everybody in our locker room is going to do whatever it takes for it not to end early this year. We want to be playing Saturday night.”
No. 5-seeded St. Helens also has visions of playing in Saturday’s title game after punching their ticket to the state tournament with a 62-50 win over Philomath.
Lions head coach Trenton Minich said they had a plan for the game versus the Oregon West Conference runner-up, and they executed it to a tee.
“Going into the game we talked a lot about the importance of rebounding and playing with tempo, and I thought our guys executed that game plan really well,” Minich said. “We were really connected on both ends of the floor and had great balance offensively. We had six guys score nine or more points, which shows how unselfish this group is and how well the ball was moving.”
Like Backus, he too spoke to his team’s composure in a game with so much on the line, and in fact, said they embraced it.
“I thought our guys handled it really well,” Minich said. “All week we talked about how we put ourselves in this position and that pressure is a privilege. We knew the playoff atmosphere was going to feel different, so our emphasis was staying composed and winning every possession.”
Minich said that while he knows they’ll have to be at their best to experience success at the upcoming state tournament, he emphasized that it’ll be incumbent upon them to stay the course regarding what has gotten them there in order to do so.
“At this point in the year every team still playing is talented and capable, and the margin between winning and losing gets pretty small,” Minich said. “Our focus is preparing the right way and staying true to the things that got us here.”
St. Helens will face No. 4-seeded Madras in their quarterfinal, and win or lose, it will be a proud moment for his team, along with the community the represent.
“Opportunities like this are earned, and our players understand that,” Minich said. “Our community has been incredible in supporting these kids, and they’re excited to represent St. Helens and compete on that stage this week.”
With spots at this week’s state wrestling championships on the line, girls from St. Helens, Scappoose and Banks showed up and showed out at the 4A/3A/2A/1A Special District 1 Regional held Feb. 20-21 in Molalla.St. Helens came away with the team title, tallying 225 points, 73 points better than second-place Scappoose (152).Tillamook was third (133.5), followed by Banks (125.5), Estacada (118.5), Rainier (109.5), Newport (104.5), Yamhill-Carlton (91.5), Toledo (84), Philomath (80), Dayton (70), Molalla (63.5), Willamina (6...
With spots at this week’s state wrestling championships on the line, girls from St. Helens, Scappoose and Banks showed up and showed out at the 4A/3A/2A/1A Special District 1 Regional held Feb. 20-21 in Molalla.
St. Helens came away with the team title, tallying 225 points, 73 points better than second-place Scappoose (152).
Tillamook was third (133.5), followed by Banks (125.5), Estacada (118.5), Rainier (109.5), Newport (104.5), Yamhill-Carlton (91.5), Toledo (84), Philomath (80), Dayton (70), Molalla (63.5), Willamina (63.5), Regis 55, Amity (41.5), Colton (36), Jefferson (36), Cascade (32), Taft (31), North Marion (26), Riverside (25), Scio (24), Waldport (23), Warrenton (23), Sheridan (22.5), Knappa (22), Astoria (20), Vernonia (16), Gladstone (15), Corbett (6) and Jewell (4).
The Lions were led by junior Jadyn Pense (170 pounds), sophomore Sarah Cobabe (110), and sophomore Vivianna Scott (235) who won individual titles in their weight divisions.
Pense will be going for her third-straight state championship at this week’s event after winning titles in both her freshman and sophomore seasons.
St. Helens wrestlers also earning spots at state were Natahlya Beranek, who placed third at 115 pounds; Annaliese Steele, who placed third at 130 pounds; Ivy Musch, who placed third 145 pounds; Addison Simdorn, who placed third at 140 pounds; and Sunnie Cordova, who placed fourth at 235 pounds.
Scappoose’s second-place finish was highlighted by four second-place individual finishes, along with a third.
Seniors Emmerson Jarman (100 pounds) and Ciela Garcia (190), in addition to juniors Scarlett McHugh (125) and Alivia Abouchiani (145) earned second place honors, while senior Ehva Allen notched a third-place finish. All earned spots at state.
McHugh placed fifth in the 120 weight division at last year’s state tournament.
Banks’ fourth place finishing team was comprised of three winners, including freshman Kenzie and Madison Turner, who won the 145 and 155 pound weight divisions.
Joining the Turners atop the podium was junior McKenna Word who won the 130-pound weight division. Word will be making her third consecutive trip to the state tournament where in 2024 she placed fourth, and last year repeated her fourth place finish.
Banks’ Baylee Buchanan also punched her ticket to state, placing fourth in the 120 weight division.
The OSAA 4A/3A/2A/1A State Championships begin on Feb. 26, and the finals are scheduled for the evening of Feb. 27.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include Addison Simdorn, an additional St. Helens wrestler who qualified for state.
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