Forest Healthcare is delighted to have joined the Veteran Friendly Framework, with six of our specialist care and nursing centres having achieved accreditation to date. This is part of our long-term commitment to delivering the best possible care, compassion, and support for every resident across our network.
Care and support for veterans is essential, especially given that around 8% of all care home residents in the UK have served. That means there are over 25,000 veterans currently living in residential care settings who may have diverse needs, which we as a care community can better respond to with education, more personalised care planning, and understanding of issues such as social isolation.
The Framework provides a set of eight standards care providers must fulfil to become eligible for accreditation. We are proud to have completed these standards through our dedicated care teams at Belmont Lodge, Ash Court, Bridgeside Lodge, Grace Manor, Pinehurst, and The Poplars.
The Value of Care Centres With Veteran Friendly Framework Accreditation
Veterans have often lived extraordinary lives, with stories of bravery and courage that inspire. However, each individual may also have specific and unique needs due to age, mobility limitations, or health, which can differ considerably from their peers.
Forest Healthcare has long celebrated the achievements and accomplishments of our veteran residents but also make space for each person to share their life experiences, should they wish to, and ensure care is person-centred and recognises the importance of reflection and commemoration around important dates such as Armistice Day.
Becoming part of the Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) made absolute sense in line with our values. It has been an experience in terms of reviewing how we can meet the well-being needs of each veteran, understanding the complexities around supporting residents and collaborating with veteran-specific community and support services where these can add value.
Benefits of Veteran Friendly Framework Care Centres for Residents and Families
For families and individuals looking for residential care homes well-equipped to support veterans, VFF accreditation means our centres have proven their commitment and ability to improve social connections and health and well-being outcomes.
Armed Forces community members and their spouses and partners may require tailored support to connect and share their memories, protect their sense of identity, recognise their contributions, and safeguard their practical and emotional well-being.
In order to be verified as a VFF care centre, each setting must, for example:
- Have provisions that help us identify veterans and their partners, and record their well-being needs.
- Incorporate Armed Forces statuses within individual care planning.
- Sign up for the Armed Forces Covenant – a pledge to ensure those who have served and their families are treated fairly.
- Offer signposting to charitable and statutory support services in the community.
- Deliver training for new and existing staff around caring for veterans.
- Commit to understanding the impacts of service life and the importance of respecting resident’s personal preferences.
In some cases, veterans may not have shared their history or status as Armed Forces members, which the VFF has committed to changing, helping connect individuals, form friendships, support social interactions and provide a better care experience.
Our Role in Delivering Compassionate Care Support to Veterans
We might think that the care needs of veterans relate to physical injury or disability, and this can be correct. Still, the work of the VFF highlights that social and well-being needs are equally important, where care centres with the right resources, understanding and support networks in place have an ingrained comprehension of issues such as mental health challenges and isolation.
Feeling detachment from the Armed Forces community can be a serious issue and have profound effects on a person’s sense of self, purpose and ability to socialise and enjoy the camaraderie that might only be possible with other veterans.
Collective history and experiences hold enormous significance, which can mean that access to veteran groups is more than a social event. It ensures veterans can mark events and anniversaries and recall their past in a supported setting, while memorial days such as D-Day, VE Day, and Remembrance Day are marked with the solemnity and dignity they deserve.
Veterans may also wish to be involved with events both in the local community and further afield, which can require assistance with planning and transport, logistics, and ensuring family members or loved ones are fully involved.
Community initiatives, social interactions, and groups can significantly improve veterans’ quality of life and ensure they feel respected, connected, and valued, especially for those who might live far from family members.
Care professionals working within a VFF-accredited residential home can put extra support structures in place to help with a broad range of challenges, needs and care requirements while fostering a community of inclusion, empathy, understanding and appreciation in a safe environment – ensuring every veteran is recognised.
How Forest Healthcare’s Care and Nursing Centres Adapt to Provide Veteran Friendly Support
There is no template or standard care plan that will be appropriate, preferred, or wanted by every veteran, and respecting individuals’ autonomy and requirements is key. However, many may prefer to be addressed by their rank and feel that this is a core aspect of their identity—ensuring their status as an Armed Forces member is never impacted by their age or place of residence.
Veterans might also have specific routines that they consider important, from personal grooming and schedules they have adhered to for a lifetime, something that our care centres can, of course, put into place.
Familiarity, consistency, and compassion are all vital. Listening with care to individual needs, ensuring care professionals in each of our centres are trained according to all the VFF standards, and remaining open in communications and dialogues ensures that any wishes or requests, large or small, are accommodated.
Should you be interested in learning more about the VFF, how it incorporates veteran-specific care into private care centres, or why understanding the emotional, physical, and social needs of Armed Forces members makes such a difference, you are welcome to contact Forest Healthcare or any of our accredited centres at your convenience.