Vietnam Vet's Care Costs: Urgent Help Needed

My dad is an Army veteran and retired FAA pilot. He was once an avid fly-fisherman who loved the outdoors. He was a larger-than-life presence at every social gathering or party, and the president of every club he joined (and he joined many!).

He also has a cognitive impairment that impacts his memory, behavior, and overall health. A neuropsychologist at the VA diagnosed him in 2023, and believes he is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Recently, his disease has progressed quite rapidly, leaving us (and especially me, his only child) feeling overwhelmed and scrambling for answers and support. We’ve come to the hard realization that we are needing to move him again—this time into a memory care facility.

Unfortunately, the cost of such a facility is far beyond what he can currently afford. We are going through the VA channels to try to increase the amount of disability and other assistance he receives, but these processes take months. We have already tapped out any financial reserves he had with moving costs and deposits associated with his initial move to a different facility in November.

His health struggles can be directly linked to his service during Vietnam. As both a helicopter and airplane pilot, he was frequently exposed to Agent Orange, a neurotoxin that has been proven to cause diabetes (which he has), hypertension (which he also has), and neurological disorders.

It is unimaginably painful to see my dad’s health, cognition, and dignity steadily decline. He served his country for 20 years in the US Army, put his life on the line during 3 tours of Vietnam, and then worked for the FAA until he retired in 2012. He has always been a proud man. He would absolutely hate me asking for help—but to be honest, I need it as much as he does.

We are asking for assistance to help offset the costs of:

Anything you could spare would be deeply appreciated.