10 Year Anniversary

A Caregiver’s Smile

    “How much more can we bear? Even More! I would do it again.. and again”   The family of an Air National Guardsman came to the Wounded Veteran Family Care Program facing challenges as a result of the veteran’s debilitating illness from his burn pit exposure in Iraq in 2005. The family was forced to fight an uphill battle for the veteran’s VA disability compensation after his return home. The lengthy process for securing the veteran’s benefits, while facing multiple medical crises, lasted for years and financially devastated the family. The veteran shared his story with us: “I
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10 Year Anniversary

      “Not Just For A Moment, But For A Lifetime” “When it Rains, It Does Not Always Have to Pour” “Doing It Alone, With A Little Help”   All of these are stories of real life caregivers that the Quality of Life Foundation, through the Wounded Veteran Family Care Program, has been able to support over the past 10 Years. As caregivers have learned to negotiate a new normal with their severely wounded, ill, or injured veteran, they have encountered problems along the way. QoLF has stepped in to provide a safety net, reinforce a fragile foundation, and create a
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For A Lifetime

Impact for the Long-Term   At the Quality of Life Foundation, we provide support and services to help caregivers, veterans, and their family members improve their quality of life; this is the essence of our service model.  While improving the quality of life for our clients in their community, we strive to let them know that their sacrifice in service to our country is valued and appreciated. Each person’s definition of quality of life is dependent on his or her needs, desires, and aspirations. For one caregiver, improved quality of life is sleeping in a bed on a new mattress
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Doing It Alone, With a Little Help

      Our military caregivers and their families are independent.  After enduring multiple deployments, military families are accustomed to getting things done on their own. They have mastered the art of navigating difficult situations, and there are few challenges that they are not able to overcome. For many, our caregivers are facing their challenges alone. Caregivers come to Quality of Life Foundation for support after years of trying to map out a new normal in the aftermath of a loved one’s traumatic wound, injury, or illness. Our families are navigating the maze of government programs. These families need some
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image of a family walking in the rain

When It Rains

  It Does Not Always Have To Pour Our caregivers are often beset with challenges, many out of their control, some acts of God. What do caregivers do when challenges are out of their control and it seems there is no way out? They call on Quality of Life to find their rainbows. This caregiver’s family of six included the veteran, his spouse caregiver, and four minor children. The veteran served in the Army and deployed to Iraq in 2006-2007. As a result of this difficult deployment, the veteran was diagnosed with mental and physical health issues. These health issues
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A Much-Needed Break

      When tragedy strikes, our caregivers find themselves thrust into unexpected and unknown situations. These situations may be short-term but could become a new way of life. One thing is for certain, the new circumstances create stressors that are incredibly difficult to handle. The stressors can be so tremendous that at times the caregiver will neglect themselves, their own doctors’ appointments, their own interests, their own needs, for the benefit of the veteran or the children. We recently received a note from a veteran caregiver who despite feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders, they found
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Collaboration for a Caregiving Family

Stuck Have you ever dreamed of being stuck in quicksand? You struggle vigorously to move through the suck of the mud. You feel your body in motion, your legs dragging one in front of the other, only to realize you have barely moved at all? Every day, every step— you struggle with moving from one room to another. Some veterans experience this struggle daily. Veterans arrive home after service with physical injuries that make their mobility a challenge, whether using a cane, a walker, or a wheelchair. Veterans and their families have to adapt to their new modes of mobility
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How Do I Feed My Baby, My Veteran and Myself

    We had the pleasure of working with an Army veteran family in South Carolina.  This family includes the veteran, his spouse and caregiver, and their minor son.  The veteran served in the Army and as a result of two deployments and exposure to several IEDs, he has been diagnosed with severe PTSD and TBI.  He requires substantial daily care from his wife. The family recently moved from the state of Washington to South Carolina as they were selected to receive a mortgage-free home from another national nonprofit organization.  While they were very excited to be in South Carolina,
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Furnishing Hope Does It Again!

  The Quality of Life Foundation was contacted by a mother and caregiver who was seeking assistance for her daughter, a 23-year Navy veteran who retired from service following her diagnosis of cancer and other serious medical conditions.  The mother and caregiver moved from Maryland to California in 2011 to assist her daughter with daily living tasks and transportation to numerous medical appointments.  This relieved the veterans’ husband who had resigned from his employment to assist his wife.  The family was in dire financial debt and the veterans’ husband needed to find employment to supplement the family income. One of
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Family looking at their home

Home in a Box

    Mold…Invisible, Dangerous, and Non-replaceable   The Quality of Life Foundation recently teamed up with Furnishing Hope to coordinate a “Home in a Box” for a family of 8 from Chesterton, Indiana. The family was in need of all new furniture and linens due to mold challenges in their home. Because the family is living on a fixed income, they could not afford to replace the furniture all at once. With the help of the family’s Family Support Coordinator (FSC), Sharon, and Beth Phillips from Furnishing Hope, they were able to provide the family with a “Home in a
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