Enhancing Health and Well-Being of Families and Seniors

New Initiatives Advance 10-Year Long Term Care Strategy

In 2013, more than 20,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians received services through the Long Term Care and Community Support Services Program. Guided by the Close to Home strategy, clients of the program have access to new and improved services as a result of recent initiatives including enhanced care options and age-friendly transportation options.

“Over $600 million is provided annually to support long-term care and community support services. Our goal, through the strategy, is to transform and enhance the delivery of these services. We want to ensure that seniors, adults and children with disabilities, and individuals requiring professional services while at home, receive the appropriate care that meets their needs, provides quality care and gives them options on how they will receive that care.”
- The Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Health and Community Services

Over the past year, several new initiatives of the strategy have been implemented including:

• The Age-Friendly Newfoundland and Labrador Transportation Pilot Project is funding five groups to provide affordable and reliable transportation to older adults and those with mobility challenges for outings such as medical and banking appointments, social activities and grocery shopping.
• The Enhanced Care in Personal Care Homes Pilot Project allows seniors who would be required to move to a long-term care facility, to receive enhanced levels of quality care in a personal care home, allowing them to live in a more home-like setting longer.
• $3.5 million in additional financial support was provided to personal care and community care home operators, as well as home support agencies.
• Introduction of a subsidy to provide respite care in personal care homes.
• The addition of new palliative care comfort beds in long-term care facilities and health care centres.

Two further initiatives of the strategy that will be implemented in 2014 include the Paid Family Caregiving Option which will increase a new home support client’s flexibility and choice for care by making it easier for adults to hire a family member; and, the Community Rapid Response Pilot Project which will utilize four teams of health professionals in Grand Falls-Windsor, Corner Brook and two in St. John’s to provide enhanced health care follow-up services in people’s homes to patients who present at an emergency department.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to supporting important social programs, strong communities and the health and well-being of children, families and seniors.

QUICK FACTS

• The Long Term Care and Community Support Services Program provided care to more than 20,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in 2013.
• More than $600 million is allocated annually to provide long-term care and community support services.
• The 10-year Close to Home strategy was released in June 2012, with the goal of transforming and enhancing the delivery of long-term care services.
• Two new long-term care facilities are under construction in St. John’s and Carbonear in addition to two protective community residences being built in Bonavista and Clarenville. These facilities complement the long-term care facilities that have been constructed in Corner Brook, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Lewisporte, Clarenville and protective community residences in Corner Brook and Lewisporte.

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Media contact:
Scott Barfoot
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 690-6290
scottbarfoot@gov.nl.ca

2013 12 31                                        9:45 a.m.