Lots of options
Long-term care, respite spots available: healthcare director
There are many options available for respite care services in West Hants, says the Nova Scotia Health Authority and Department of Health and Wellness.
“On the home care side, we assess people to determine their needs and then we have a range of programs that we can bring to bear to meet the specific needs that they have,” said Susan Stevens, senior director of continuing care with the Nova Scotia Health Authority.
“In home care we offer home support, which is somebody who comes in to offer care — might be meal preparation, essential housekeeping and we also offer respite.”
When it comes to respite care, providing supplementary care to allow a full- time caregiver to have a break, the province focuses on home care respite and long-term respite at a facility such as a nursing home.
“We have 44 respite beds in nursing homes across the province,” she said.
Two of those beds are in the West Hants area, one at the Windsor Elms and the other at Haliburton Place.
Stevens said the province has monitored the use of those two beds closely and both are well used.
“We are just starting work with the (Department of Health and Wellness) on a new continuing care strategy and the number of beds and locations of the respite beds is something that we’ll be working with them on to determine if we have right number and if they’re in the right communities,” she said.
“The respite beds, we believe we’ve got them in the right places right now… but if we continue to see an increase in demand for those beds we’ll be working with the DHW to see if we should be adding or moving any.”
The provincial government doesn’t currently fund day pro- grams, such as the one offered by the Rose-Marie Care Home in Hantsport, in West Hants.
“Both the DHW and NSHA fund adult day programs in different parts of the province,” she said. “Here in Halifax, as part of the NSHA, we fund an adult day program that’s part of Northwood.”
Stevens said there are parts of the province where gaps in publicly funded adult day programs do exist. She also said there are parts of the province where the programs are not well used.
“Transportation can be a challenge, to get their family member to and from the adult day program,” she said. “Some programs charge a fee, which are usually pretty nominal, but that can be a barrier as well.”
Stevens also highlighted the caregiver benefit program, which supports approximately 2,000 people across the province, providing $400 a month for a caregiver looking after a loved one.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work over the last two years and we’ve actually reduced wait lists in both home care and in long term care,” she said. “Overall, the demand is going up because we have an aging population. We have one of the oldest populations in the country.”
Where to find services
People can find out where to find these programs at www. caregiversns. org. They can also call continuing care at the NSHA at 1-800-225-7225, which will connect people to a local office, for information on services available.