Dealing with aging parents during deployment encompasses unique opportunities. Sailors and their families have plenty of different avenues to take while caring for Mom and Dad
There are a wide variety of income and food supplement programs available that can help put food on the table and pay some bills. Learn about Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA), FFSC, MCCS, the Social Security Administration (SSA), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, the USDA's Food Stamp Program, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, and other nutrition programs.
Learn about health care for elders in your home. It discusses TRICARE, Medicare Part A and Part B, Medicaid, supplemental insurance, health maintenance organizations (HMO), preferred provider organizations (PPO), and the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
If the tables are turned and you need to take care of your aging parents, the Navy and Marine Corps offer services to help. Learn about financial aid via the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) in case of family emergency, legal issues such as power of attorney, nursing home care, an ID card for elderly parents (and temporary ID for non-military seniors) so they can shop at the commissary and join the TRICARE pharmacy program.
Living with aging parents and the issues of elderly family members, including their physical, psychological, and spiritual health; which includes medication, cognitive skills, anxiety, depression, insomnia, adult caregiver's stress, fatigue, privacy, the needs of children, and mixed emotions. Provides several links to resources.
Learn about the effects on your military career of caring for aging parents. Gaining an elderly dependent requires enrollment in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), but that this is not reported to any screening board and cannot be used against military personnel regarding deployment, overseas duty, or promotion.
There are ways that you can provide long-distance support to an elderly parent or grandparent via phone, mail, e-mail, and care packages. You can also employ a visiting nurse or social worker, if needed (often paid for by insurance), and network with family members for more support.
LIFELines is sponsored by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs and funded by the Center for Personal and Professional Development.
Military Life
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