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 The Lakes, MN, 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 The Lakes, MN 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.
With spring fast approaching, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants anglers to prepare to remove their fish houses from off the ice to meet statutory deadlines.“It’s been a good, long season for many anglers,” said Lt. Col. Robert Gorecki, assistant director of the DNR Enforcement Division. “We’d like to see that continue and have this part of the season end on a high note, which means shelters off by the deadlines and the ice free of litter.”Anglers in the southern two-thirds o...
With spring fast approaching, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants anglers to prepare to remove their fish houses from off the ice to meet statutory deadlines.
“It’s been a good, long season for many anglers,” said Lt. Col. Robert Gorecki, assistant director of the DNR Enforcement Division. “We’d like to see that continue and have this part of the season end on a high note, which means shelters off by the deadlines and the ice free of litter.”
Anglers in the southern two-thirds of the state must have their fish houses removed from the ice by just before midnight March 2, unless they're going to be in use overnight. That affects fish houses from Moorhead to Duluth and points farther south.
Warm weather conditions have already prompted many anglers to begin removal early, according to Joe Albert with the DNR Enforcement Division.
“We had that warm spell here a week to 10 days ago, and so for a lot of people that was kind of the last hurrah," Albert said. “We are seeing that access sites in particular are getting slushy and, you know, thin ice and just not real high quality conditions anymore. So, we are seeing in a lot of places that people have already taken [fish houses] off."
Albert said fish houses can remain on the ice after the deadline as long as they’re occupied. But once the angler heads for shore, they need to take their shelter with them. He also said anyone who violates the deadline may be prosecuted. And conservation officers may confiscate, remove or destroy any structures left behind.
“We would far rather work with people than have to take that enforcement action,” Albert said.
He also reminds anyone venturing onto the ice for any reason to exercise caution.
"Anytime you're out on the ice, especially this time of year, keep safety top of mind, because things can happen quickly,” he said. “The ice can change quickly, and so people really need to, wear a flotation device, use ice picks, that sort of thing."
Albert said the second removal deadline for the top third of the state, where ice holds up longer, is March 16, followed by the final deadline on March 31, for any U.S.-Canada border waters, including Lake of the Woods.
Once removed, shelters cannot be left at public access sites. And for any anglers having difficulty meeting the deadline, Albert suggests reaching out to their local DNR office.
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Recent warm weather has deteriorated many public water accesses in the central and southern parts of Minnesota and prompted thin-ice warnings for some bodies of water. As a result, many fish house owners have already removed their shelters from the ice. For those who haven’t, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers to start planning for bringing them off the ice in advance of approaching removal deadlines.The upcoming statutory removal deadlines are:In addition to the deadlines for Minnesota-Canada b...
Recent warm weather has deteriorated many public water accesses in the central and southern parts of Minnesota and prompted thin-ice warnings for some bodies of water. As a result, many fish house owners have already removed their shelters from the ice. For those who haven’t, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers to start planning for bringing them off the ice in advance of approaching removal deadlines.
The upcoming statutory removal deadlines are:
In addition to the deadlines for Minnesota-Canada border waters, other removal deadlines include Minnesota-South and North Dakota border waters (March 5); Minnesota-Wisconsin border waters (March 1); and Minnesota-Iowa border waters (Feb. 20).
Anglers may still fish after removal deadlines, but shelters on the ice between midnight and one hour before sunrise must be attended or occupied. Also, shelters may not be left at public access sites.
The DNR also wants to remind all fish house owners to pick up and properly dispose of any trash as part of removing their shelter from the ice. This includes wooden blocking materials, which must be removed, even if they are frozen into the ice.
“It’s been a good, long season for many anglers,” said Lt. Col. Robert Gorecki, assistant director of the DNR Enforcement Division. “We’d like to see that continue and have this part of the season end on a high note, which means shelters off by the deadlines and the ice free of litter.”
If shelters aren’t removed by the statutory deadlines, owners may be prosecuted, and structures left behind may be confiscated and removed or destroyed by a conservation officer.
A final reminder from the DNR’s Enforcement Division: When venturing out on the ice always keep in mind that ice conditions can vary widely and change quickly. Ice is never 100% safe, and everyone should check the ice thickness for themselves.
For additional information, including delineations of which areas are subject to which removal deadline, visit the DNR’s ice shelter webpage.
March is the month to connect with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ fisheries offices across the state. The agency is updating fisheries management plans for 197 lakes in 52 counties in 2026, and is inviting Minnesotans to reach out and share their input.The DNR encourages people with thoughts on the future management of a lake with a scheduled plan update to call or email the area fisheries office for that water body before March 31. Area fisheries teams will consider the public’s observations and comments a...
March is the month to connect with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ fisheries offices across the state. The agency is updating fisheries management plans for 197 lakes in 52 counties in 2026, and is inviting Minnesotans to reach out and share their input.
The DNR encourages people with thoughts on the future management of a lake with a scheduled plan update to call or email the area fisheries office for that water body before March 31. Area fisheries teams will consider the public’s observations and comments as they develop updates for each management plan.
“We’re inviting anyone interested in the health and quality of Minnesota’s fisheries to contact us during this critical part of the DNR’s fisheries lake management planning process,” said Ryan Maki, fisheries management consultant. “These plans establish fisheries management goals and objectives for each lake and define the work fisheries biologists do each year. Observations and input from a lake’s stakeholders are essential to the planning effort.”
A list of lakes scheduled for plan updates in 2026 is on the Minnesota DNR website. Fisheries management plans for Minnesota’s 10 largest lakes follow a similar but separate update process.
As people consider what input to share, they might want to consider:
The DNR is also interested in comments from organizations or their representatives, including outdoors groups, conservations organizations, lake associations and local units of government.
Based on initial comments received and other considerations, area fisheries managers might request additional public feedback later in summer or fall before completing the update to a particular plan. The DNR will publicize opportunities for additional engagement regionally and post them on the DNR website. The webpage also includes general information about why and how the DNR develops and uses fisheries management plans for Minnesota’s 4,500 actively managed lakes.
The lakes, listed by county, scheduled for management plan updates in 2026 include:
Aitkin: Big Sandy, Hanson, Hill
Anoka: Peltier
Becker: Big Cormorant, Elbow, Melissa, Sallie
Beltrami: Sandy, South Twin
Blue Earth: Ballantyne, Crystal, Duck, Loon, Madison
Carlton: Little Hanging Horn
Carver: Parley
Cass: Boy, Little Wolf, Long, Swift
Chisago: Goose, Horseshoe, Kroon, Little, North Center, West Rush
Clearwater: Minnow
Cook: Bingshick, Cascade, Devil Track, Fay, Greenwood, Gull, Hog, Pike, West Pike, Red Rock, Little Saganaga, Sea Gull, Thompson, Tom, Two Island, Unnamed (Noname)
Crow Wing: Gladstone, Goodrich
Douglas: Rachel, Red Rock
Faribault: Bass, Unnamed
Freeborn: Freeborn
Grant: Cottonwood
Hennepin: Independence
Hubbard: Blue, Fifth Crow Wing, First Crow Wing, Fourth Crow Wing, George, Long, Second Crow Wing, Sixth Crow Wing, Spider, Third Crow Wing, Waboose
Isanti: Florence, Green
Itasca: Antler, Bear, Beatrice, Crooked, Deer, Hartley, Johnson, Lammon Aid, Little Bear, Sand, Split Hand, Swan, Trout, Twin, Wabana, Wolf
Kanabec: Fish, Knife
Kandiyohi: Eagle, East Solomon, Henderson, Long, Point, Ringo, Willmar
Koochiching: Clear
Lake: Ahsub, Conchu, Crooked Lake, Dan, Disappointment, Glacier Pond 1, Glacier Pond 2, Hare, Little Wilson, Ninemile, Wye
Le Sueur: Clear, East Jefferson, Emily , German, Gorman, Henry, Horseshoe, Middle Jefferson, Rays, Scotch, Volney, Washington, West Jefferson
Lincoln: Benton, Steep Bank
Lyon: McKay
Mahnomen: South Twin
Martin: Clear
McLeod: Bear, Marion
Meeker: Manuella, Stella, Washington
Morrison: Long, Peavy
Mower: East Side
Murray: Iron, Wilson
Olmstead: Zumbro
Otter Tail: East Battle, Fish, Lizzie, Marion, Pickerel, Rush, West Silent, Wall
Pennington: Red Lake River Reservoir
Pine: Grindstone
Pipestone: Split Rock Reservoir
Pope: Grove, Scandinavian
Ramsey: Bald Eagle
Rice: Cannon, Circle, Cody, Fox, French, Hunt, Dudley (Kelly-Dudley), Mazaska, Phelps, Roberds, Wells
Roseau: Hayes
St. Louis: Ban, Big Moose, Birch, Chant, Chub, Colby, Cub, Eagles Nest 1, Eagles Nest 2, Eagles Nest 3, Foss, Johnson, Jorgens, Joseph, Lower Pauness, Marion, Moose, Norberg, Oslo, St. Mary’s, Susan, Upper Pauness
Stearns: Cedar, Kings, Long
Steele: Beaver
Todd: Little Swan, Turtle
Waseca: Elysian, Lily, Reeds, St. Olaf
Washington: Elmo, Forest
Watonwan: St. James
Wright: French, Pulaski, Upper Maple
Yellow Medicine: Del Clark
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