The Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home wants veterans and family caregivers to know about a dramatic drop in cost for its adult day health services.
The Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home wants veterans and family caregivers to know about a dramatic drop in cost for its adult day health services.
Veterans with disability of 70 percent or greater related to their military service, and veteran spouses, qualify for on-site, free daytime health services.
Veterans with less than 70 percent still qualify, with the fee recently dropping from $65 to $35 per day.
Those services can include assistance in the bathroom, dispensing of medications, help showering, social activities and cognitive stimulation.
The service is intended to help family caregivers by giving them respite, the ability to work during the day or even the chance to run errands.
“Their caregivers are sometimes worse off than they are because of the burdens on the caregiver,” said Yukio Okutsu Administrator David Pettijohn.
Program participants don’t just sit and put together crossword puzzles.
“We have a health care plan for them,” Pettijohn said.
Day health services are available 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and might expand to Saturdays if enough veterans take part. So far, there are eight veterans participating with room for up to 24 on any given day (more can be in the program, but only 24 on-site at any given time).
Some veterans attend all week. Others just a day here and there, depending on caregiver and veteran needs. Those who qualify might have been affected by Agent Orange, diabetes, mobility limitations and/or other medical conditions.
Janet Fujimoto, a military spouse of a Korean War veteran, said she stayed at the veterans home while recovering from surgery, transitioned to home and continues to return for the day health services.
She especially appreciates being able to continue physical therapy and occupational therapy on-site, and the availability of transportation.
“They come and pick us up in the morning. We have curb-to-curb service,” Fujimoto said.
The health service even has allowed her to participate in activities she might not otherwise have been able to.
“We went to the zoo to visit the new tigers there,” she said. “It was wonderful because I cannot walk. They put me in a wheelchair and they pushed me around.”
Getting veterans out and about, while attending to their medical needs, is expected to save costs while also improving their quality of life and avoiding placement in long-term care facilities.
“We do all the nursing care and try to keep them home,” Pettijohn said. “It’s going to prevent all these nursing home costs later.”
Yukio Okutsu Adult Day Health Director Juanita Geronimo-Babas said socialization activities include card games, karaoke and travel to events such as plant shows and craft shows.
“We also have volunteers that come. We have pet therapy. They bring their dogs. The veterans really love that. They look forward to it,” she said.
Pettijohn said, “We look at the whole person and meet their health care needs, not just their psycho-social needs.”
The service, he said, is good for the Hilo community.
So far, though, he said, “I think it’s just undiscovered.”
Email Jeff Hansel at jhansel@hawaiitribune-herald.com.