Quebec announces funding for anglo caregivers on South Shore
South Shore MNA Nicole Ménard announced on Friday a $100,000 grant to a St-Lambert-based group that helps anglophones obtain health and social services in English.
The money will go toward funding a six-week course for informal caregivers aimed at teaching them how to prevent falls in the elderly, reduce the spread of infections, and what actions to take during emergencies like a heart attack. Caregivers will also be informed of all the health and social services that are available in English in the Montérégie.
The course, called ReCharge, is organized by the Assistance and Referral Centre, and is now open for registration in St-Lambert. It will soon be offered in Brossard, Candiac and Châteauguay.
“The financial support that’s being provided to the Assistance and Referral Centre is significant in the context of an aging population,” said Ménard, who represents the riding of Laporte. “What caregivers do is so precious, but their burden of responsibility is sometimes heavy to bear, and this program is there to give them some help.”
It’s estimated that there are 150,000 informal caregivers in the Montérégie.
The funding for the course is being overseen by the Regroupement des organismes montérégiens d’aidants naturels, which has invested $10.8 million in the past five years in projects to assist caregivers in the region.
Anglophone-rights advocates have long complained that health and social services in English have grown scarce in the outlying regions of the province, where many elderly still live. In December, Premier Philippe Couillard rejected the idea of a special office for anglophone affairs, promising instead to have one of his staff act as liaison officer in the future. Earlier this month, Couillard named Gregory Kelley, son of Aboriginal Affairs Minister Geoffrey Kelley, to the role.
To find out more about the ReCharge program, call 450-8120981.