Home care gets $4.7M funding boost

$3.8 million for complex care, almost $1 million for caregiver respite services

CAMBRIDGE — Home care clients and their caregivers will get more care and respite hours in Waterloo Region with a $4.7-million investment from the province this year.

Cambridge MPP Kathryn McGarry announced the funding boost Friday morning at the Cambridge office of the Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre. Most of the money, just over $3.8 million, will go to better support clients with complex care needs, including more nursing care, personal support and rehabilitation hours.

Nearly $1 million will go to respite services for caregivers.

“The combination means we can keep more people at home longer,” McGarry said in an interview.

McGarry was a nurse and care co-ordinator for the home care agency, where she saw firsthand the importance of supporting caregivers.

“I know how much caregivers need respite and relief,” McGarry said.

Caregivers are often called upon to provide medical care, and the round-the-clock work, including lifting, can be draining. If a caregiver burns out, the patient ends up in hospital or long-term care because they can no longer provide care.

“They’re just not able to manage any more,” McGarry said.

Provincewide, $80 million is earmarked for enhanced home care and $20 million for caregiver respite.

The additional funding is part of the province’s 2015 budget commitment to increase funding to home and community care by more than $750 million over three years.