How Small Home Health Agencies Can Better Serve Our Veterans
If you spend any time in a Veteran’s living room, you notice something quickly: most of them are not asking for perfection. They want someone who shows up on time, listens without rushing, and treats their service with genuine respect. That sounds simple, but it is exactly where small home health agencies can stand out.
I believe small agencies can serve Veterans better than anyone else when they lean into their strengths: real relationships, flexible care, and strong local connections.
Start by understanding the person behind the uniform
Before care plans and visit schedules, there is a person with a history. I have supported Veterans who wanted to talk about their time in service and others who did not want to mention it at all. Both deserve to be understood on their own terms.
One Veteran I worked with became tense whenever someone stood in a doorway while talking to him. At first it looked like “agitation.” Once we asked more about his background, we learned that cramped, crowded spaces were a reminder of a difficult deployment. After that, staff began sitting across from him at the kitchen table instead of hovering in the doorway. The change was small, but his body language softened almost overnight.
For a small agency, this kind of insight starts with simple habits:
- Asking about branch, years of service, and what they want you to know about their time in.
- Training staff on PTSD, chronic pain, and brain injuries so they can recognize triggers and respond calmly.
- Documenting these details in the care plan, not just leaving them in casual conversation.
When caregivers understand military culture and trauma, Veterans feel less judged and more willing to accept help.
Build care around the Veteran’s day, not the agency’s schedule
Large systems often feel rigid. Small agencies can offer something different: care that actually fits the rhythm of the Veteran’s life.
In my own work, I saw how powerful this can be. One Veteran loved early mornings and hated being woken up. Instead of forcing a 7 a.m. visit because it fit our staffing pattern, we moved his main support to late morning. We combined medication assistance, breakfast prep, light housekeeping, and a quick walk outside into one relaxed visit. He stopped refusing care and started looking forward to “our time” each day.
Some practical ways to do this:
- Start care planning with a question like, “What does a good day at home look like for you” and build the schedule from there.
- Coordinate around VA appointments so Veterans are not overwhelmed with visits and trips back-to-back.
- Keep staff assignments as consistent as possible so Veterans see familiar faces, not a parade of strangers.
When care feels like it fits their life, Veterans are more engaged and families feel less stressed.
Connect the dots with the VA and community resources
No single agency can meet every need, and Veterans already navigate enough complex systems. One of the best things a small agency can do is become a “connector.”
That might mean:
- Having a direct contact at the local VA clinic and sharing updates when there are changes in condition.
- Helping families understand benefits like homemaker services, respite programs, or transportation support they may not know exist.
- Reaching out to local Veterans groups, faith communities, or service organizations to create a circle of support around the Veteran.
I remember one situation where a quick phone call to a VA nurse avoided a serious medication mix-up. The Veteran had prescriptions from both the VA and a community provider, and no one had lined them up side by side. Once we did, the nurse adjusted the regimen and thanked us for catching it. That kind of coordination keeps people safe at home and strengthens trust between the VA, the family, and the agency.
Bringing it all together
When small home health agencies really listen to Veterans, design care around their daily lives, and stay closely connected with the VA and local community, something important happens. Care stops feeling like a rotating list of tasks and starts feeling like a partnership built on respect.
Veterans notice. Families notice. Over time, so do referral sources.
Serving Veterans well is not about having the biggest building or the most vehicles in the parking lot. It is about showing, visit after visit, that their service matters and that their home can be a safe, steady place to age with dignity.
Byline: Written by Richard Brown Jr., MBA, Founder of Essential Living Support, LLC, a Veteran-owned home and community-based care provider in Cheyenne, Wyoming. www.essentiallivingsupport.com
