When Irene Hutchinson’s husband developed signs of dementia following surgery last year, it was the beginning of a long and difficult education about her husband’s war service, veterans’ benefits and long-term care.

In the southern Maine nursing home where he was sent for rehabilitation, Harold “Hutch” Hutchinson began showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. A powerful man, even at 79, he sometimes became belligerent and once broke out a window and left the nursing home. Police brought him in handcuffs to a nearby fire station and from there to the psychiatric ward of a nearby hospital.

For Irene, it was agony to watch her husband, the most compassionate man she has ever known and a veteran who performed reconnaissance missions as an underwater demolition diver (the precursors to the Navy Seals), treated as a problem to be drugged and avoided.

“They don’t listen to me,” Hutch told her. He felt like he was in prison. When there was a problem, the staff at the nursing home would send him to the locked psychiatric ward of a nearby hospital.

Nor is Hutch an isolated statistic. As veterans age, studies indicate that those who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder are much more likely to develop dementia, which also makes them more likely to need nursing home care.

The Veterans Administration pays for services provided to qualifying veterans, but the highest level of reimbursement is only available in designated facilities.

The Gregory Wing had been designated for the highest level reimbursement but was removed from the program last year because as a relatively small facility, it did not serve many veterans.

Wendy Roberts, Executive Director of St. Andrews Village, which includes the Gregory Wing, said that when her staff learned they had been dropped from the list they reapplied. It is vital that beds are available for veterans locally at the highest level of reimbursement possible, said Roberts.

When the Gregory Wing was once again added to the list this spring, it was great news for Irene, not only because the Gregory Wing is much closer to her home in Waldoboro than the southern Maine facility, but because of the quality of care Hutch receives.

When Hutch was transferred to the Gregory Wing, he exhibited many of the same issues that he had in the southern Maine facility. He was sometimes angry and confused. Once he tried to escape.

Over time, however, a team of doctors, nurses and therapists gradually reduced his medications. Staff also worked with Hutch to improve his mobility.

The change in her husband’s quality of life was dramatic, said Irene.

The nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) talked to him differently. They would joke with him and encourage him to engage in the activities. They could even make him laugh, something Irene thought she would never see again.

“Even in his worst moments, they were right there,” said Irene.

And the staff didn’t just take care of her husband, they also took care of her.

On those days when Hutch was not doing well and Irene became depressed, they would take the time to listen to her and let her know that things were going to get better.

Knowing her husband was happy and in a good place is peace of mind, said Irene.

“Within a week of him being here, I could close my eyes and get some sleep. I know he is being cared for 24/7,” she said. “They care.”