Tom Wilemon

The Tennessean

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Mary Anderson was newly widowed and didn't like coming home to an empty house.

So when the retired nurse found out about medical foster homes for veterans, she signed up. For the past five years, the program run by the VA hospital in Murfreesboro, Tenn., has provided her with extra income and a purpose behind each day.

Now, the Nashville VA hospital is starting the same program.

"You have to want to do it and be committed," Anderson said, "not just be in it for the paycheck."

Anyone who fosters a veteran can make between $1,500 and $3,000 a month, depending upon the level of care provided. Doing so requires taking a veteran into your home and agreeing to unscheduled inspections.

VA Tennessee Valley Health Care System is looking for experienced caregivers, but people don't have to be nurses. They do have to become around-the-clock caregivers and have a backup person to step in when necessary.

"This program takes a generous spirit on the part of the caregiver," said Dr. James Powers, the medical supervisor.

The medical foster home for veterans program has been around since a pilot project in 2000 in Little Rock, Ark.

Experts say the program is ideal for veterans who won't thrive in a group setting, such as a nursing home, and who are at risk for homelessness.

Ronny Pennington, a Vietnam War veteran, had just lost a leg to blood poisoning and was lying in a hospital bed with no place else to go when he met Anderson. He is one of two veterans she cares for in her Antioch, Tenn., home. Up to three veterans can live in a foster home.

He watches old Western television shows like Bonanza and Gunsmoke, enjoys sitting on the front porch and often plays guitar with Anderson's son. His favorite meal is the salad she makes with lettuce, black olives, tomatoes, red onions, boiled eggs and grated cheese.

"We try to eat healthy and cut out all the fats," Anderson said. "I mostly bake. You can fix food a certain way with spices and you can't tell you don't have salt. I'm watching his diet but I'm also watching mine."

Pennington is on a low-sodium diet because of high blood pressure and a heart condition.

Doctors, nurses and social workers carefully match patients with foster homes according to their medical needs and the level of care host families can provide. The VA rates veterans in the program according to four levels of care.

"A four would be a person totally bed-bound and couldn't do much for himself," said Erin Clarey, the medical foster home coordinator for Nashville. "Then we have those patients who are ambulatory but need extra support to remain in the community. It varies."

A foster home receives support from the VA's home-based primary team, which consists of a doctor, nurses practitioner, dietitian, physical therapists and chaplain. Home visits could range from twice a month to multiple times a week, depending on the health of the veteran.

The VA Hospital in Nashville is looking for its first medical foster home. The one in Murfreesboro has five and is adding seven more, said Tracy Newbern, medical home coordinator for that area.

Powers said he has come across patients at the VA hospital in Nashville who could leave earlier if they had families to take them in as well as patients who keep coming back because they need someone to help them with daily living and health maintenance.

The key to success will be matching them up with the right medical foster homes.

"The big question is how many people are appropriate for this and how big can this program grow," Powers said.