Seniors getting help to stay at home
Helping others is second nature to Martin Gorman.
“Yes, I do,” Gorman, 22, said of volunteering to lend a hand to anyone in need in his hometown of Windsor.
Gorman works as a forklift operator and kindling splitter for New Boundaries, a Windsor agency that provides services and work for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Gorman and others could find themselves with a lot more potential work with the launch on Wednesday, Nov. 7, of Home Services Nova Scotia, a program designed to help older residents of the province live in their homes longer by accessing non-medical services such as housekeeping, meal preparation and yard work provided by those with intellectual disabilities and mental health issues.
“Every survey that has ever been done shows that well over 95 per cent of Nova Scotians want to remain in their home, remain in their community, attached to what they are most familiar with and what they most treasure,” Seniors Minister Leo Glavine told a group of Home Services workers gathered at Corridor Community Options for Adults in Enfield and others joining the conversation by video transmission.
Glavine said he lives on a gravel road in a rural Annapolis Valley community and is familiar with residents living in isolation.
“There are (rural) people who still have their wood stove, their wood furnace and unless they have help bringing that wood from outdoors into the woodshed and then into the home, they would just not be able to stay there,” Glavine said.
Glavine said 20 per cent of Nova Scotians are over 65. In 2030, that number will jump to at least 25 per cent, he said, rising again to 30 per cent by 2040.
“We all know that we could never build enough nursing homes to have that way of life for our seniors. We have to stay in our homes. We have to have them there well cared for and safe in their homes. It’s not about just saying, ‘stay in your homes.’ It’s about having you there, enjoying high-quality of life, with a supporting cast of people.”
The program, with the assistance of the 211 provider, will con- nect a reliable, trustworthy contact person to assist with chores and errands so that older people can stay in their homes longer, the minister said.
Adult service centres in Glace Bay, Inverness, Enfield, Dartmouth, Halifax, Windsor, Milton, Shelburne, Clare and Digby will support the program.
Older adults in Canada face social isolation, too, Glavine said.
“Socially integrated programs actually protect against dementia,” he said. “There is nothing like having someone to talk to, someone ... checking on an older person. If that is done daily, or as often as possible, what a difference it makes.
“Creating age-friendly supportive environments that foster autonomy and independence and help older adults stay connected to their community is key to preventing social isolation and promoting healthy, active living. There is magic behind connecting two vulnerable populations.”
Marilyn Clarke, a longtime community nurse and a Home Services program mentor from
Fall River, talked about growing older and dealing with barriers that prevent her from seeking health.
“We do not like to ask for help, we consider it a failure in some way,” Clarke said. “As older adults, we are vulnerable and it’s difficult for us to navigate through the system to find the services that meet our needs and also make us feel safe in obtaining them. You can understand that because there are always scams out there and they target us because we are vulnerable.”
Trustworthy service deliverers and access to local agency providers through 211 is very important, she said.
“The big plus for me is that the services are delivered by passionate people who are no strangers to dealing with barriers in their own day-to-day lives. They take pride in their work and provide safe, reliable, dependable services.”
The program will be delivered with yearly contributions of more than $200,000 from the Community Services Department.
“I am pretty impressed with it,” Gorman said of the program. “I do something like it on my own time, like lawn-mowing and gardening.”