Alberta committee will review legislation on continuing care
By GILLIAN SLADE on February 8, 2020.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade At the moment, home care, supportive living and long-term care is governed by its own legislation, but the government is establishing a committee to review this. Current continuing care legislation dates back to 1985 and includes six acts, six regulations and three standards. The review will contribute to Alberta’s first comprehensive continuing care legislation and is expected to be tabled in 2021. Albertans and key stakeholders, including home care providers, facility operators and seniors’ organizations, will be asked to contribute on topics such as standards for health, personal and accommodation services, operators’ compliance with licensing requirements and standards, options for health-care practitioners so they can work to their full scope of practice, eligibility requirements across continuing care, clarity of roles and responsibilities between government, Alberta Health Services and other partners to reduce overlap and duplication. Home care provides health and personal services to individuals in their own homes (single family homes, apartments, condominiums, lodges) and communities. Designated supportive living provides accommodation, meals, and some health supports while still allowing residents to live independently in a home environment. Long-term care includes nursing homes and auxiliary hospitals to provide care for people with complex medical needs who are unable to remain at home or in a supportive living facility. There are nearly 27,000 publicly-funded facility-based continuing care spaces in Alberta and more than 127,000 Albertans received home care services in 2018-19. 10-9
And the scary part or should I say, “another scary part” is they are now going after continuing care and home care.
I can say that I have nurses coming to my home twice a week and healthcare aides coming to my home twice a day to deal with a staph infection I have in my leg.
While some people may feel this is a little excessive having people come to my home twice a day, and I will not be surprised when we hear this from Health Minister Tyler Shandro. I’ve had some people say I should be in the hospital and maybe they’re right because it’s not good when a staph infection goes bad and is relatively quick if it enters the bloodstream.
And while Shandro may try and justify cutting or even privatizing home care, I hope people consider the money saved by me being treated at home rather than the hospital. In the hospital I would have nurses check on me eight or ten times a day. I do not have the hospital feeding me or doing my laundry. I do not have a Doctor checking me once a day and another one behind the counter monitoring my medication.
The things I have at home is my own cooking, my freedom to deal with my personal issues, My ability to contact my Doctor if a situation requires it, rather than once a day for nothing.
I have my medic alarm at home if something happens and that gives me security. I also have my service dog that tries to keep my stress livable. I will admit that what I am going through is very stressful, but we or I question if that stress would be any lower if I was in the hospital taking a bed from someone that may need it more than me.
Yes, maybe home care should be reviewed. But we ought not to be looking for cuts because the cost of not having it would choke every aspect of our healthcare, from meals to laundry. What I hope what comes from this review is how we can make it better and safer for people to be treated in their homes.
The number one and the first recommendation I would like to put forward is, anybody receiving home care ought to be given a medic alarm if not for need, but for a sense of security for the client.
My medic alarm cost around $50/month and that is a couple days of meals in the hospital.
Now I’m not some accountant with Ernst & Young, I am just some guy at home fighting a staph infection with a team of caring and professional nurses with a group of health aides and I’m afraid that we may lose this service.
I think it is time for every Albertan to start asking, when is this UCP government going to stop playing Russian roulette with people’s lives? Because it may be you that gets the staph infection next week, and then you’ll see just how vital home care service is.
Thank you