News in Brief
Rural Canada – A Good Place to Grow Old?
A little while ago, we told you about a three-year study we are involved with that
will help us to understand how best to support veterans and other seniors who live
in rural communities. We are conducting this project in partnership with the Royal Canadian
Legion, the University of Alberta and rural communities. If you are a member of the Royal
Canadian Legion and live in a rural community you may receive a phone call asking you to
participate in a survey that is being done as part of this project. If you agree to take part in
the survey, the information you provide will be kept private. You also may be asked if it is okay
to call you for a second interview in the future.
Sharing Ideas
More than 140 long-term care staff and administrators from across Canada met in
Halifax in early May to discuss veterans' care needs. During the meeting, we talked about a
number of issues including dementia, end-of-life care, respite care to support family
caregivers who need a break from the demands of caring for a loved one, and food
quality in institutions. Our Department is pleased to sponsor these meetings with our
long-term care facilities because it allows us to share ideas and best practices about how best
to deliver quality care to our veteran clients. We'll tell you more about the latest meeting in
the next issue of Salute!
Services & Benefits Brochure
We have recently updated our Services and Benefits brochure. This brochure includes
information on the services and benefits available to you from Veterans Affairs. For
a free copy of this brochure please call 1-866-522-2122.
VA Regulations Updated
VAC has recently updated the Veterans Allowance Regulations. The changes have no
impact on new clients or anyone now receiving the War Veterans Allowance but they are very
important in their own way. They have allowed us to simplify some of the legal wording or
make it more precise, and include new language to reflect modern-day issues, such as
common-law partnerships, or other words and phrases that are now commonly used in our
society. As well, a definition of "blindness" is now written right into the regulations.
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