PARKVILLE — All across the country the government works with medical foster homes for veterans.
These are places elderly veterans can go for care instead of a nursing home.
One foster home in Parkville is making an impact on the lives of a couple veterans.
On any given day you can find Joann West inside her kitchen preparing meals and snacks.
She serves two military vets who live with her.
For almost two decades, she's transformed her house into a medical foster home.
"There is a need for the veterans. They have served this country, and it is time for them to be served," said West.
One of her resident veterans is 91-year-old Bob Kuntzman.
Prior to moving in with West, he was living in and out of motels.
"Here you get a person who is considerate of us, and taking care of us. Where in a motel, you never know what you're going to get," said Kuntzman.
Ralph Stepney is the other veteran West cares for.
She took a homeless Stepney in almost a decade ago, after he suffered a stroke.
"And I pass out in the streets, and somehow they ended up taking me. Medics took me to VA hospital. They found out I was a veteran and since then, they started working on me and getting me back to where I am today," said Stepney.
Kuntzman and Stepney are just two veterans across the state living in medical foster homes.
The VA Maryland Health Care System provides homes for elderly and homeless vets in an effort to keep them involved in their communities.
The vets pay room and board to their caregivers directly, with the VA covering home health care costs.
"And we do lengthy applications, background checks, we do inspections, nursing inspections, fire and safety and dietitian, all sort of things to make sure this is going to be the best setting for that veteran, "said Sara Hoffman, a VA Maryland social worker.
For Kuntzman and Stepney, they're happy with their living arrangements.
VA Maryland currently has five medical foster homes across the Baltimore region, which they hope to expand.
If you're interested in becoming a caregiver, email Sara Hoffman at sara.hoffman5@va.gov.