The provincial government said it is investing $10 million to make home care support for seniors and people with disabilities more affordable.
Minister responsible for seniors Lyne Chantal Boudreau said the government feels this is “the right thing to do.”
“Those who wish to age in place and remain in their homes as long as is safely possible should be able to do so,” she said in a release from the Government of New Brunswick (GNB). “Affordable home care will give them this ability.”
According to the Department of Social Development, this is the first increase in investment in long-term care and disability support in nearly 30 years.
Shelley Petit, the chair of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities, said any money that goes toward assisting seniors and persons with a disability is always a good thing.
“We really saw it hit married couples or especially senior women who just lost their spouse,” she said. “I’ve already had emails from a couple of married couples that they will be saving $400 or $500 a month from this off their co-payments.”
Seniors and persons with a disability are required to pay a certain amount toward in-home care. She said in some cases any amount of co-pay is considered too much.
Petit said the concern here is lack of human resources to provide in-home care.
“We have an idea at the Coalition. We’re going to approach the minister, because thinking outside the box is necessary,” she said. “They have to take a hard look at the services they provide and do they all need to be by a registered home care worker.”
She said there is a case to be made that some people don’t need full in-home support but could need cleaning service or other smaller tasks that don’t meet the 40 hours per week required in the legislation.
Individuals who are paying for full hours under the program will expect to receive those hours, even if they are not necessarily needed.
“This is where we’re tying up some really valuable resources and that we have to think outside the box and do it better,” Petit said.
The annual income thresholds will increase by 10 per cent, it said.
· to $27,500 from $25,000 for singles
· to $38,500 from $35,000 for couples
· to $55,000 from $50,000 for couples with one dependent
The department said this is expected to expand the program to more people and affect the subsidies of its 2,100 clients.
“This investment will help people remain in their homes and communities as long as it is safe to do so, which benefits individuals, families and our health-care system as a whole.”
Those already registered as clients of DSD do not need to reapply and the changes will be applied to their subsidies on Jan. 1.
Petit said the next step needs to be the appropriate remuneration for those in-home care workers.
“What are we saying about home care workers and their value there,” she said. “Show a little respect, and we’re going to keep pushing on this, because we have too many people in New Brunswick who need private home care workers.”
Tina Learmonth, the president of the New Brunswick Home Support Association, said in the release that this is a step in the right direction.
“We must work together to strengthen the home support workforce, expand access to services, and ensure providers have the tools they need to deliver high-quality care to New Brunswickers,” Learmonth said in the release.
More information on home support, as well as a financial assistance calculator, can be found online.
