Medical Foster Home Program with Rosemary Na’a
VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) covers a vast area, including the Hawaiian Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marias.
Within this area, there are people from all walks of life and all cultures. One thing that many of our Veterans and their families often have in common is that they are not always comfortable with the idea of a long-term care placement. The concept can feel impersonal and even frightening.
Thankfully, VA has a program that addresses this concern with compassion: The Medical Foster Home Program.
This is a program where Veterans can be placed in a residential home with a caregiver who agrees to take care of them in a home-like family environment in partnership with the VA Home Based Primary Care Program. This means that the Veteran can partake in home-cooked meals, watch children play, and enjoy the freedom that comes from living with a family instead of in an institution, all while receiving personal nursing home level care and supervision.
“My heart is in this program,” said VA Medical Foster Home Coordinator Rosemary Na’a. “I started it in 2008, and I’ve been doing it ever since because I really believe in the good this does for our Veterans.”
The Medical Foster Home Program is a VA initiative that exists nationwide, but VAPIHCS didn’t participate in the program until 2008. The VAPIHCS Honolulu locations was one of the sites that received program expansion start-up funding. It began on Oahu and was expanded to the Hawaiian Islands and Guam.
To join the program, a caregiver must apply through the VA. Once their application is processed, they will be visited by four inspectors. The Medical Foster Home Coordinator talks with the caregiver and looks at the home. A nurse inspects the home to make sure the caregiver can administer all the Veterans medications. The fire safety inspector makes sure the home complies with fire safety standards. And finally, a dietician inspects the kitchen and food preparation area. It may sound like a lot, but the VA’s top priority is Veteran safety, and so the home inspections are necessary. In Hawaii, the homes must also be licensed by the State of Hawaii, although this is not a requirement in Guam.
Once a Veteran is placed in the home, the caregiver has VA services to provide support for the Veteran’s care. A recreation therapist will talk with the Veteran about what matters to them, in accordance with the Whole Health approach to care. The therapist then arranges recreational opportunities for the Veteran.
“It’s wonderful for Veterans to be in this program,” said Na’a. “They can have personal 24/7 care, but also they can feel like they are part of a family, should they choose this.”
Na’a has a master’s degree in social work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She grew up in Guam but came to Hawaii in 1993, and she considers Hawaii like home now. She says that starting work with the VA in 2008 was one of the best decisions she made, because she loves to be able to help Veterans. Na’a is very excited to expand the Medical Foster Home Program and help more Veterans be placed with caregivers.
If you would like to apply as a caregiver to be part of the Medical Foster Home Program, please contact Rosemary Na’a, LCSW, MFH Coordinator at (808) 940-1322 or at Rosemary.Naa@va.gov.