The Wounded Veteran Family Care Program is a program of the Quality of Life Foundation. We are a national 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. For more than a decade, have provided advocacy and support to caregivers who provide daily, substantial care for wounded, ill or injured veterans, nationwide. The primary focus of the program is the caregiver, but we also address needs presented by the veteran and minor children in the home.
These families represent veterans from across ... Read More
The Wounded Veteran Family Care Program is a program of the Quality of Life Foundation. We are a national 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. For more than a decade, have provided advocacy and support to caregivers who provide daily, substantial care for wounded, ill or injured veterans, nationwide. The primary focus of the program is the caregiver, but we also address needs presented by the veteran and minor children in the home.
These families represent veterans from across the nation and all branches of military service. Many come to us after they have spent months or years at a Military Treatment Facility or Veterans Affairs Medical Center providing bed-side care for their loved one. During that time, the family caregiver may lose their job or spend savings to maintain their home and continue providing for other family members. Perhaps, even more significant is that these caregivers often sacrifice their own personal goals to care for their loved one. We assist wounded veteran families whose lives are forever changed as a result of their service to our nation.
Quality of Life Foundation strives to make positive differences in peoples’ lives today that will continue far into the future. By focusing on initiatives that improve the quality of life of those who have been struck by misfortune, and teaching them skills for rebuilding in spite of those life struggles, the Foundation will have indeed provided a life-long benefit to those they serve.
The Quality of Life Foundation launched its first initiative, the Wounded Veteran Family Care Project in February 2008 shortly after a chance meeting between Michael Zeiders, and the spouse of a Marine with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). This meeting was the catalyst for the Foundation to begin researching the unique challenges faced by families of service members with wounds, injuries, or illnesses that required substantial caregiving. The goal was to document families’ experiences and identify the resources required to successfully respond to this life-changing event.
In March 2010, the Quality of Life Foundation launched the Wounded Veteran Family Care Program to support families who provide a substantial amount of caregiving to a wounded, injured, or ill veteran. Our client families include veterans with combat and non-combat-related traumatic brain injuries; PTSD, stroke; spinal cord injuries; multiple amputations; and other poly-trauma injuries. We focus on the whole family because oftentimes, caregiving responsibilities, coupled with financial strain, result in family members forgoing their own quality of life needs and we addressed quality of life needs through local and national resources, or through the outright purchase of goods/services.
Our advocacy contributed to the expansion of caregiver support through the VA over this period, as our nation’s intense and extended military engagements were substantially declined and caregiver support resources expanded. The VA is currently in the process of implementing the Mission Act which expands benefits and eligibility for caregivers across the spectrum. Just as we did 11 years ago, QoLF is identifying and filling a gap in caregiver support by now focusing on advocacy and support to caregivers negotiating the PCAFC benefits and guidelines.
Hide Full Text
