The local Seniors’ Centre for Excellence made changes to its congregate dining program beginning with the Jan. 13 event. The program, originally held on the first Friday of each month, has moved to the second Friday of the month.
The January guest speaker, Right at Home Canada franchise owner Laura Greenway-Balnar, spoke on the services her company offers to seniors.
“I understand that during difficult times when decisions need to be made about seniors’ care and support, most seniors don’t know where to turn. Right at Home provides consistent, reliable, personalized care to seniors,” Greenway-Balnar said.
An international organization founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home personal care and assistance to seniors and disabled adults who wish to continue to live independently. Right at Home directly employs caregivers who are screened, trained and insured. All care is monitored and supervised by local independent franchisees.
A registered member of Home Care Ontario, the company’s motto is, “We are the right people, doing the right things, the right way, for the right reason.”
Right at Home provides a complete list of in-home support services including but not limited to light housekeeping, transportation, nursing support, foot care, night guardian overnight stays, hospital to home discharge and transition care and adaptive clothing lines.
“There are gaps in Ontario’s health care system. Services are fragmented, uncoordinated and unevenly distributed. Many seniors have difficulty navigating the system. In rural Ontario, there is inequitable access to health care services,” Greenway-Balnar stated.
In December, the Ontario government passed Bill 41, The Patients First Act, allowing for the restructuring of home care. Under the bill, the role of the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) will be absorbed by the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). The merger of the two organizations will ensure more integration of health services, Greenway-Balnar explained.
Currently the CCAC is the initial point of contact for personal support and nursing. There is no cost to the patient and patients are able to access community services and programs. There is no guarantee of consistencies of caregivers and support provided. Availability of service hours per client is limited to 90 hours per month.
LHINs work with local residents and health care providers to identify and meet the health needs in the community. The LHIN team is comprised of doctors, nurses and health care and business professionals who focus on local health care funding, design and improvement.
“To access long-term care a patient first contacts the CCAC,” Greenway-Balnar said. “There are seven levels of criteria involved in a patient’s admission to the program. Rates and services vary depending on the care facility. A basic room costs around $1,175 per month, with a private room at $2,535 per month. Subsidies are available on basic rooms only.”
In the Waterloo- Wellington region there are 36 long-term care homes offering 3,823 spaces.
Caressant Care in Harriston contains 89 beds and has a wait list of 74 days. In comparison, Wellington Terrace in Centre Wellington has 216 beds, with a wait list of 709 days. Retirement homes that are private, corporate or family owned offer moderate levels of support and services with prices ranging from $1,500 to $5,000-plus per month per person. Rates may or may not include various types of personal care, laundry, medications, meals and activities.
Personal support workers (PSWs) may provide live-in services in addition to a variety of other services including medical, transportation and meal planning. Costs are paid by the client or client’s family.
PSWs are not regulated by a governing body, so Greenway-Balnar suggests when employing a PSW patients should check for certification, WSIB coverage, liability insurance, a police check and job experience.
“Be your own advocate when dealing with the health care system. The system is complicated. Be the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, “ said Greenway-Balnar.
For more information call 1-844-232-4663 or visit www.rightathomecanada.com.
