World War II veteran Vahan Elmassian is in the veteran foster care program and lives with Gloria and Jessica Carr in Portage, Mich. Photo courtesy of the News-Gazette.

Two Veterans Affairs social workers in Little Rock, Ark., in 2002 created a foster care program for seniors that is now spreading across the country, according to this article in the Illinois News-Gazette.

Veterans enrolled in the program live with families instead of nursing homes. The program is now run at 73 sites across the United States and Puerto Rico and will be expanded to 29 more this year, the article said.

The VA Illiana Health Care System based in Danville, Ill., is now developing a similar program for its service area, the article said.

“Many veterans can live independently for years with the support of home care services and assistive devices,” said National Association of Social Workers member Kelly Belinger-Sahr, MSW, LCSW, who is the Iliana program coordinator. “But there may come a time when they can no longer care for themselves or it’s not safe for them to remain in their home alone.”

The National Association of Social Workers is committed to supporting the health and welfare of the our veterans and their families. Professional social workers can find resources to help veterans by visiting the NASW “Social Work with Veterans and Military Families” website by clicking here. And consumers can learn more about the services social workers provide veterans and their families by visiting NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Veterans Affairs website by clicking here.