Keith Hutchings, parliamentary secretary to health minister Jerome Kennedy, and policy consultant Debbie Morris were on hand to get feedback in order to aid the province’s Long-Term Care and Community Support Services strategy.
According to the consultation document produced by the government, titled Close to Home, a combination of changing family dynamics and an aging baby boom generation will place increased demand on the long-term care and community support system. Currently, the system is used by over 10,000 people, including seniors, adults and children with disabilities, and others requiring an extra level of care.
Max Bussey, a resident of Gander who works with seniors, said he was concerned about the level of homecare received in the province.
“I want to caution the government on its homecare policy that it is well supervised and there’s no abuses,” he said.
Mr. Bussey said private personal care and long-term care facilities are a great option for seniors, but added they often offer bare-bone services.
“You have a bed, you have a room, you have a cafeteria to eat, and that’s about it,” he said.
What seniors living in private homes need more of is recreation activities, he said.
Ursula Parsons echoed the need for recreation in such facilities. Ms. Parsons is a manager at Golden Years Estate in Gander, and obtained a certificate in recreation through a community college.
Extra funding from the provincial government to help foster recreation programs in personal care and long-term care facilities would be beneficial, she said, in particular for subsidized residents. At her own workplace, a privately-owned personal care site, it offers daily exercise activities along with field trips.
“Their physical, emotional and spiritual needs have to be met.” - Ursula Parsons
“Their physical, emotional and spiritual needs have to be met,” she said.
Derm Coady, a national director in Newfoundland and Labrador for the National Association of Federal Retirees, said he has seen improvements in long-term care and the community support system in recent years, and hopes future policies equal or exceed services provided in other provinces.
His main grievance with the current system concerned the financial assessment process for people moving to personal care or long-term care facilities.
Presently, the system bases the assessment on assets held within the previous 30 days. Mr. Coady said assets should be excluded from the process and instead focus on income from a clients previous income tax form – a formula used in other provinces, including the other three Atlantic ones.
Mr. Coady said the government has made gradual steps away from the asset-based assessment, noting earlier rules forced people to include assets owned within the previous three years in the assessment process. It was subsequently changed to one year before the most recent revision brought the asset window to 30 days.
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