Author Archives: Quality of Life Foundation

Thankful

There are many organizations out there that help veterans, but not nearly as many that help those caring for our veterans.

The Most Precious Gift

A sweater for Aunt Elle, a red fire truck for Little Jimmy, and a new Barbie doll for Ari, the list goes on and on. And on that day there will be smiles and fleeting jubilation! Yes, you may catch Aunt Elle in her newest fashion – or not. Jimmy may spend countless hours on the floor raising and lowering the ladder to save his action figure trapped in the tower made of legos – or – if he receives the newest X-Box or PlayStation – the firetruck may sink into oblivion to be found many springs from now in
Read More

500 Caregivers Served

QoLF FSCs: James, Sharon, Andrea, Angie, and Carmen Our mission is to support Caregivers that tirelessly give of themselves to support and aid their veterans and their families. With little time or attention devoted to their own well-being, these Caregivers push through to ensure the sustainability of their families through every challenge that arises. We could not fulfill our mission however without the tireless efforts of our Family Support Coordinators – James, Sharon, Andrea, Angie and Carmen, and our staff, Sarah and Shawn. Although a small staff, they do an incredible work fundamentally changing and positively impacting the lives of
Read More

Tri-Care Enrollment Information for Caregivers

  For all military retirees and dependents, your new Benefeds (TRICARE)vision and dental plans must be purchased between November 12 and December 10, 2018. The old TRICARE Retiree Dental Program is passing out of existence on December 31, 2018, so you must choose a new plan during the enrollment period. You may also add on vision coverage. You can search by zip code to compare plans. Some important things to consider: If you want to keep your dentist, call and ask them if they are an “IN-NETWORK PROVIDER” on the plan you want. If you ask them if they accept
Read More

The Little Things Make a Big Difference

Home is the place where we expect the cares and burdens of everyday life will be lifted just enough to get ready to tackle another day. But, we rarely take time to appreciate the things that make our lives easier, the burden lighter. And when those things are suddenly out of reach, we realize what a big difference they make in the quality of our lives. Imagine seeing your spouse in unrelenting pain every day, or realizing that thereís not enough money to pay the bills, or having to travel miles to send a simple fax to apply for resources.
Read More

‘Tis the Season for Holiday Blessings

   Again this year, we are teaming with Azalea Charities to extend Holiday Blessings to the children of families currently enrolled in our Wounded Veteran Family Care Program. Our goal is to relieve a bit of the stress that can come during the holiday season. Thanks to our generous donors, and Azalea Charities, we will send our caregiver families gift cards for each minor child in their household.     UPDATED December 17, 2018: Here are a few responses from the WVFCP enrolled caregivers to which we sent gift cards for our Holiday Blessing: •  “WOW! This is so very
Read More

Grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation

We are proud to announce that Quality of Life Foundation has received a grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) to support our Wounded Veteran Family Care Program in providing assistance to family caregivers of wounded, ill, or injured veterans with service connected disabilities. BWF leverages its expertise and collaborative network to find, fund and shape innovative programs that help our impacted veterans, service members and their families thrive. As a nonpartisan leader in the military-veteran community, the Bob Woodruff Foundation brings transparency and credibility to its partners and complements their efforts. Receiving a grant from BWF is an honor
Read More

Partnership Changes Lives

This family of 5 includes the veteran, his spouse and caregiver, and 3 minor children. The veteran served in the Army NG and deployed to Afghanistan. The veteran primarily has invisible wounds and requires daily caregiver support from his spouse. The caregivers’ elderly parents had to move. In support of their elders, the family incurred all of the expenses associated with the move. However, this act came with significant financial consequences as they had not anticipated how expensive it would be to move their parents. This resulted in the family falling behind on several of their own household bills while
Read More

Time to Run

I joined the Marines in 1996 as a testament to how much I hated college. I was first diagnosed with cancer from chemical exposure in my tear duct in 2006 but was able to remain on active duty through three occurrences. The side effects of treatment culminated in my early retirement in 2013. Last year I was diagnosed for the fifth time. We may have possibly, finally found a cure. Survival is not a fight, it’s a swim. You drop in the water at night and take a moment to get your bearings. Pick a course quickly but not hastily,
Read More

Playtime is Funtime

  Generally, when you think about oral health, you presume the care recipient is an adult, surprisingly this is not always the case. We worked with a caregiver and mom of three whose husband, after multiple deployments where he experienced injuries from IED blasts, returned home with severe invisible wounds along with his physical injuries. This caregiver supports her wounded veteran around the clock as they negotiate his catastrophic injuries. The amount of support this veteran requires prevents the caregiver from working outside of the home. The family had several needs, but the most important need to be addressed was
Read More