It’s important that the public have a realistic expectation for the amount of home healthcare support that they likely will be able to access through the CCAC.
While it’s true that some seniors, living at home, are receiving daily care funded by CCAC, the vast majority of seniors requiring care are not receiving anywhere near the 14-20 hours stated.
We’ve been providing care to seniors in the throughout the GTA since 1995. I’m not sure where Mr. Abbot found his numbers, but in our experience, in the GTA, seniors in the community are generally able to access only 2 to 4 hours of care per week through their Community Care Access Center (CCAC), not the 14 to 20 reported by the Health Council of Canada. Those who are assessed as needing palliative care may be eligible for additional hours of support.
When families commit personal resources, either their own time or purchased care hours, to support seniors at home, the health care system and the community at large, benefit. We already know this to be true through the studies that have been done related to the Veterans’ Home Health Care benefit program. Other positive side effects for the individuals involved are fewer visits to hospital and better quality of life for the senior.
Read the Globe and Mail article http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/health-news/home-care-support-for-elderly-fails-caregivers-report-finds/article2403241/
Read our comment and give us a "thumbs up" here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/health-news/home-care-support-for-elderly-fails-caregivers-report-finds/article2403241/comments/
Lisa Wiseman BScN., RN.
President, Eldercare Home Health Inc.
Posts
In the Health Council of Canada report, Seniors in need, caregivers in distress: What are the home care priorities we have analyzed RAI-HC data in 5 regions across Canada. Greater clarity about the hours of home care received by clients in these 5 regions is provided in our report.
ReplyDeleteAccording to our data analyses, the average hours of care received in a week in Ontario are about 7 hours. In the 4 other regions we examined, they range from 4-7 hours per week.
Furthermore, hours of home care vary by region and level of need, ranging from about 5-14 hours per week. Even at the highest level of need the average hours remain well below 20 hours. In speaking to caregivers, they have indicated that 14 hours per week is the maximum amount of home care they were allotted in one region.
- The Health Council of Canada
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ReplyDeleteCare of the Elderly