Caregiving comes home
Home health care boosts independence for ailing seniors
By Lorne Chase
At a time when more and more people are experiencing the effects of aging, the need for home health care has never been more in need. Daily care may be necessary for a wide range of ailments, from Alzheimer’s disease to advanced arthritis. Care services in the home can ease the burden on overcrowded hospitals, while providing seniors with the independence they crave.
So it’s surprising to find that many people in the industry believe there is a lack of knowledge and awareness among many Canadians about home health care.
“Most people don’t want to think about anything that points to mortality,” says Karen Henderson, founder and CEO of Caregiver Network Inc. (www.caregiver.on.ca). “But in the next decade, over 50 million baby boomers will find themselves in the role of caregiver to aging parents.”
Henderson is an acknowledged expert on home health care who found herself looking after her ailing father in the mid ’90s. Her insight and experiences are shared on her web site, as well as through seminars, a newsletter and the TV/video series, Caregiving with June Callwood, which she co-created and produced. She says that most people “plan for their children’s education, but they don’t plan for aging parents.”
Shirley Sharkey, CEO of Saint Elizabeth Health Care of Markham (a charitable non-profit organization that provides home care services throughout York Region), agrees that many people don’t think of home care as an option unless they’ve had first-hand experience. “If home care is to be a viable alternative to more costly and often unnecessary institutional options, it needs proper focus and investment in the long term.”
Unlike others in the industry, Vivienne Dickson, president of home care provider, Supreme Multitask Services, doesn’t believe there is a lack of awareness among the general public. “Most baby boomers are beginning to experience having to care for an elderly parent,” she notes, “and the federal government has recognized this trend by instituting legislation that allows an employee up to one year of leave to care for an ailing loved one.”
Home care has been on the government’s radar screen for a few years now, ever since the Romanow report on Canada’s health care system recognized the need for national home care services. In Ontario, there are 43 Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care -- six of them located in the GTA -- that provide information about local not-for-profit and private home care options. In 2004, the provincial government earmarked $448 million for home health care.
The importance of home care has also been noted by the Canadian Mental Health Association, which issued a report stating that home care effectively addresses the mental health needs of seniors. Most elderly people don’t adjust well to change and are more comfortable in their own surroundings. Naturally, they would prefer to be at home with a caregiver to assist them.
A person’s financial situation will largely dictate whether they choose to go with a public or private home care provider. “Both are similar in what they offer,” notes Henderson, “but with private care you have the ability to assess their services and choose the type of caregiver you want – selecting someone based on such factors as personality, ethnic background and other criteria. With public home care, you get whomever is assigned to you.”
Laurie Mountford, president of Caregiver Services in Stouffville, which offers private home care services, says her company conducts a needs assessment that involves the client and their family. “Depending on the client’s illness, family members may be the ones making the decisions about care,” she says, “and the type of care is based on what people are willing, or can afford, to pay. For example, through CCAC, the client may get a not-for-profit caregiver for four hours a week. Our service can provide them with additional time over and above that.” She also says that more people could be planning now for the financial outlay required for home care by investing in critical illness insurance, which is offered by insurance companies and which has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Although people of all ages may require home care, the vast majority are seniors in their 70s, 80s and up. And with the baby boom generation now entering their 60s, the need for home care will definitely increase. It is the fastest growing segment of our health care system, according to Sharkey, who sees consumers “driving change in the future as they look for more control over their health conditions at home.”
Like all major decisions, choosing a caregiver for yourself or a loved one requires research. First, you need to determine who offers the services you need. Then you need to find out if they are willing to include family in any care plans. Choosing a caregiver with the same cultural values and beliefs may be of major importance. These and other considerations will help you determine if you and the caregiver are simpatico. In other words, do you share the same philosophy about the type of home care you need?
You would think that, with home health care being such a growing business, there would be a lot of people looking at the industry as a career option. But according to many involved in the industry, that isn’t the case. Henderson, Sharkey and Dickson agree there is a shortage of caregivers, and that more effort must be put into attracting people into the profession.
However, Mountford of Caregiver Services says dozens of courses exist for personal support workers, and these programs have resulted in an increase in the number of people entering the profession. “That may add to the quantity of individuals, but it doesn’t guarantee quality workers,” she notes.
The concept of “aging in place” – keeping loved ones at home for as long as possible – is an admirable one. But it requires a commitment from family that just may not be possible when both spouses are working and raising children. Home health care offers an alternative that can alleviate the burden on families, while at the same time helping to make our health care system more sustainable.
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