Do you have questions about home and respite care? Here's what you need to know
Some frequently asked questions about home and respite care answered
When a loved one suddenly needs support to continue living at home, the number of regulations and requirements can be overwhelming.
Before the kickoff of the new CBC News series Concerning Care, here are the answers to some common questions regarding home and respite care.
What is home care? What is respite care?
The term "home care" refers to care provided to people who need help — to varying degrees — to be able to manage living in their own home.
Respite care, on the other hand, provides short-term relief to caregivers, often family members, so they can take a break from their duties. The support worker temporarily steps into the role of the caregiver.
Slightly different, and one subcategory of respite care, is community respite care. It is provided to people who need support with daily tasks outside of their homes — like taking part in social functions or leisure activities, or going to work or post-secondary institutions. This can include driving the individual to places or helping with personal care, like using the washroom.
Who provides home and respite care?
People in need of home or respite care can go through the provincial home support program.
In this program, clients have three options for who can be their care provider: a family member, except for spouses and common-law partners, can be hired to be a paid caregiver, the client can hire a support worker themselves, or the client can get care through one of the approved home support agencies.
People can also access respite care through the community support program.
How many people in N.L. receive home or respite care?
According to numbers from the provincial Health Department, 8,602 people in Newfoundland and Labrador had received care through the home support program as of July. This number refers to both recipients of home and respite care.
How many support workers are there in N.L.?
According to the Health Accord, there are an estimated 8,500 home-care workers in the province.
There were 33 approved home support agencies in the province as of November 2021. Their workers provide support to clients in need of home as well as respite care.
Who pays for home and respite care?
Generally, the client and their family are expected to pay for care received through both support programs.
People can apply for funding through the regional health authority. The amount approved depends on the client's financial situation.
Subsidies are capped at $3,325 monthly for people over 65 and at $4,750 monthly for adults with a disability.
Families with children under 18 who have a disability can also apply for support with the cost of respite care through the provincial special child welfare allowance program.
Who qualifies for home and respite care?
Home and respite care provided through the home support program can be accessed by older adults over the age of 65, people with disabilities, people with chronic illnesses and those who need help following a medical issue.
It is also available for people who need end-of-life support.
To be eligible, people must also be residents of Newfoundland and Labrador and have an MCP card.
The special child welfare allowance program is available to families with children under 18 who have a disability.
According to the Health Department, respite care under the community support program is also available to people caring for a family member over 65, to those taking care of an adult with an intellectual disability in a private home, called alternative family care, or to fill gaps when the usual caregiver is sick or on vacation.
Before a person can access care under either of the programs available, a social worker makes a clinical assessment to determine whether care is needed, and at which level.
What about people under 65?
As mentioned above, not only people over 65 require help to be able to live in their own home.
That's why the eligibility requirements of the provincial home support program also include adults who had a medical procedure or issue and need help while they recover, people with chronic illnesses, those who need end-of-life support as well as both children and adults with disabilities.
Children under 18 who have a disability and live with their family can also receive respite care through the special child welfare allowance program.
How many people are waiting for a bed in a long-term care home?
According to the Health Department, 414 people provincewide were waiting for a long-term care bed as of Sept. 22: 188 in the Eastern Health region, 113 in Central Health, 99 in Western Health and 14 in Labrador-Grenfell Health.
A total of 3,164 long-term care beds exist in the province. Of those, 1,774 beds are in Eastern Health, 652 are in Central Health, 593 are in Western Health and 145 are in Labrador-Grenfell Health.
In provincial personal-care homes, there are a total of 5,264 beds — 2,643 in Eastern Health, 1,617 in Central Health, 866 in Western Health and 138 in Labrador-Grenfell Health.
The wait-lists for personal-care homes are shorter than those for long-term care facilities: Provincially, 157 people are approved for a spot and waiting: 43 in Eastern Health, 26 in Central Health, 57 in Western Health and 31 in Labrador-Grenfell Health.
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With files from Alisha Dicks