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ABSTRACT
Since 2008, the Veterans Health Administration Medical Foster Home (MFH) program has served as an alternative to nursing home care for Veterans. As part of a larger national research study, 55 in-person interviews with 62 Veterans and/or their families were conducted to identify reasons for selecting or declining MFH placement. Enrollment was attributed to: a need for increased care and a preference for highly individualized care oversight and family-oriented settings. Reasons for declining placement included: costs, location of MFHs, lack of readiness of family or Veteran to move, and level of confidence that MFHs would meet care needs. Experiences and perspectives regarding advantages and challenges of the MFH program are also described.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank Jacqueline Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN, for assisting with conducting interviews for the study and preliminary analysis, as well as the local site researchers, Patricia Wright, PhD, RN, D. Helen Moore, PhD, and Maureen E. O’Dougherty, PhD who assisted in conducting interviews.