Here's some information just in from the VA:

VA Announces $4.7 Million to Help Caregivers
Department Enhancing Education, Training and Resources
WASHINGTON (December 6, 2007) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
today announced it will provide nearly $4.7 million for "caregiver
assistance pilot programs" to expand and improve health care education
and provide needed training and resources for caregivers who assist
disabled and aging veterans in their homes.

"This funding will enhance support and training for the family members
and other caregivers who sacrifice to care for disabled and aging
veterans," said Acting VA Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield. "At VA, we're
committed to looking after caregivers who dedicate their own time and
well-being to take care of loved ones who are veterans."

The pilot programs will support eight caregiver projects across the
country. In addition, VA provides support and assistance through a
variety of programs such as care management, social work service, care
coordination, geriatrics and extended care, and through its nationwide
volunteer programs.

Among the key services provided to caregivers are transportation,
respite care, case management and service coordination, assistance with
personal care (bathing and grooming), social and emotional support, and
home safety evaluations.

Education programs teach caregivers how to obtain community resources
such as legal assistance, financial support, housing assistance, home
delivered meals and spiritual support. In addition, caregivers are
taught skills such as time management techniques, medication management,
communication skills with the medical staff and the veteran, and ways to
take better care of themselves.

Many of the projects use technology, including computers, Web-based
training, video conferencing and teleconferencing to support the needs
of caregivers who often cannot leave their homes to participate in
support activities.

The VA pilot programs announced today include:

* At the Memphis (Tenn.) and Palo Alto (Calif.) VA medical
centers, a project will provide education, support and skills-building
to help caregivers manage both patient behaviors and their own stress.
This intervention will be provided in 14 Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC)
programs across the country and also to caregivers in non-HBPC settings
at the Palo Alto VAMC.

* At the VA medical center in Gainesville, Fla., caregivers will
take part in a Transition Assistance Program to provide skills training,
education and supportive problem solving using videophone technology.

* At the VA Healthcare System of Ohio, headquartered in
Cincinnati, caregiver advocates will be available around the clock to
coordinate between VA and community services.

* At the VA Desert Pacific Network and the VA Sierra Nevada
Healthcare System, VA will work with a community coalition to provide
education, skills training and resources for caregivers of veterans with
traumatic brain injury using computer-based telehealth, including Web,
telephone and videoconferencing.

* At the VA medical center in Albany, N.Y., a pilot project will
convert a three-hour workshop developed by the National Family
Caregivers Association called "Communicating Effectively with Health
Care Professionals" into a cost-effective multimedia format.

* At the Atlanta VA Medical Center, use of computer-based
technology will provide instrumental help and emotional support to
caregivers who live in remote areas or to those who cannot leave a
patient alone.

* The Tampa VA Medical Center and the Miami VA Healthcare System
are working on a collaborative project. In the Tampa area, the current
program will be expanded to provide 24-hour in-home respite care to
temporarily relieve caregivers up to 14 days a year. In Miami, the
program will coordinate comprehensive community-based care services,
including respite, home companions, adult day care and use of emergency
response system.

* The VA Pacific Islands Health Care System will use the "medical
foster home" model of care, in which caregivers in the community take
veterans into their homes and provide 24-hour supervision. This program
will take place on the islands of Kauai, Hawaii, Maui and rural areas of
Oahu.

I agree this $4.7 mil could be well spent somewhere else! I had to quit my job in 2002 in order to bring my husband home from a long-term nursing facility (our private insurance was running out). I could not get any financial aid because, as the spouse, I was told it was my "job" to take care of him; we've used up all my retirement savings, lost my own health care benefits, etc. Since our income was cut in half, we have struggled for 5 years to make ends meet. My husband would not want anyone else to take care of his daily/personal needs (some things are very private and demoralizing), so VA providing home assistance isn't really going to work for a lot of vets either. I do agree many caregivers require training and support, but a pay commensurate to our 24/7 care-giving services should be an automatic benefit.

It seems as though it should!