Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath was on hand at the Trenton Senior Citizens Club Wednesday morning to speak on the NDP plan for people caring for elderly family members.
Horwath said the NDP wants to assist caregivers in order to help people to stay at home to receive the care they need and to help them retain their independence.
Audio Player“That’s why today I’m making an announcement that would enable folks who are caregivers to receive some financial support to help them with that work. Up to $400 a month for caregivers would be made available to not only acknowledge what they’re doing but to help provide some financial supports for the extra work and the extra initiatives that they have to undertake to keep their loved ones supported.”
Horwath said that the funding would be assessed based on the income level of the caregiver and the medical status of the person they’re caring for.
She said the party wants to eliminate the profit element of the long term care system.
Audio Player“Both home care and long term care should not have a profit motive attached to them. We’ve made the commitment, unlike the liberals after 15 years, or the conservatives, we’ve made the commitment to take the profits out of home care and long term care and make sure that every dollar is going to the well being of our seniors.”
Also on hand at the announcement was Jennifer Warr-Hunter, a Picton resident, who said she and her sister cared for their mother until her death at the age of 96 in November of 2020. She said her mother lived with them for 13 years before moving into a long term care home where she said there simply isn’t enough help to go around.
Audio Player“The staff were, for the most part, lovely and as helpful as possible but there are just not enough of them. The ratio of staff to residents was shocking to us, particularly on the weekends. Staff were run off their feet. The PSWs, nurses and RPNs we met were wonderful. I believe that shortages in the health care system could be relieved with the offer of full time work, decent wages and paid sick days.”
Warr-Hunter went on to say that she and her sister supplemented their mother’s care by bringing her food and hiring a Personal Support Worker for which they were billed often.
Audio Player“My sister and I shared the days staying in mom’s room, puréeing her food, helping her to eat, assisting with toileting and hygiene. If staff was available to help, like with a shower for instance, we were billed. For a short time we were billed just to have her meals delivered to her room. This system needs a massive overhaul. The caregiver benefit program that Mrs. Horwath has announced today would provide some financial support, but more importantly, it will acknowledge the work that family caregivers do every day.”
According to Warr-Hunter, one of the main issues she encountered with the help offered for her mother was that the care wasn’t always at a time when it was needed, which drove them to hire extra PSW help.
Horwath said the program would be application based and that they have not laid out the thresholds for funding yet, but that it would be similar to one run in Nova Scotia. She said it would be targeted at middle and lower income families, not at more well off people.
In closing, Horwath said that the current conservative government’s plan for senior care with a target date of 2025 is not enough.
For more information on the Ontario NDP caregiver plan click here.
Jennifer Warr-Hunter speaks at the Trenton Senior Citizens Club on July 7, 2021 after NDP leader Andrea Horwath announced a caregiver benefit program. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)
