Staying close to an aging veteran requires a kind of communication fluency that most civilian families develop slowly, through trial and error. You learn what questions land well and which ones create walls. You learn which formats work and which ones feel intrusive. You build a relationship style that meets them where they are.
For families who are still figuring it out, here are the principles that tend to work most reliably.
Keep it low pressure
Veterans are excellent at managing expectations they did not set. A call that requires immediate presence, a conversation that demands emotional engagement on a difficult day, these are formats that many veterans manage rather than enjoy. The format that works best is one that arrives on their terms, asks something specific and low stakes, and waits for them to engage in their own time.
Be specific, not general
How are you doing is a question many veterans are not particularly good at answering honestly. Are you watching the game tonight is a question they can engage with immediately and comfortably. Specificity reduces the demand of the interaction and increases the likelihood of genuine response.
Make it regular
"Regularity is its own form of reassurance. The veteran who gets a message every morning from a familiar contact comes to associate that contact with safety and love."
These three principles are the ones Juta is built around. Low pressure, specific, regular. Every morning, without fail.
Learn more about Juta for veteran and first responder families →