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Any person who meets the eligibility can receive homecare services.  In Ontario, publicly funded homecare falls under MOHLTC (Ministry of Health & Long Term Care).  Local health care is funded by LHIN’s (Local Health Integration Network).  Fourteen CCAC’s (Community Care Access Centres) are accountable to LHIN’s and provide care to long term homes, community services and government funded homes.

Some statistics regarding CCAC’s taken in 2015:

713,493 clients received services

74% of care was personal support/homemaking

22% of care was nursing

4% of care was therapy (OT, Physio, Speech, Social Work, & Dietician)

Some things to help you find the right home care services for your family member are:

• Check with family, friends, neighbours, and colleagues. There may be a neighbour interested in helping out.  Ask friends if they know any care providers they have use and trusted.
• Check your local Elder Care or Community Care for Seniors and speak with the family members doctor to get the referral process started.

Some tips to remember when hiring a home care provider are:

• Who you hire depends partially on what kind of help you’re looking for. For example, if you are hiring someone for yard work, you wouldn’t expect them to do medication monitoring.
• Interview several candidates, in person, before hiring
• Be specific about the tasks you require, and be sure they are comfortable with those tasks.
• If working with a specific agency, make sure you know and understand what is covered.
• Be sure to check all references and do background checks on the candidates you are considering. Don’t be afraid to move to the next candidate, if it doesn’t feel like the right fit.

Most home healthcare providers offer services such as:

Accompanied Visits – transportation and support for personal engagements, doctor’s appointments, religious events, shopping, and everyday outings.

Caregiver Relief – whether it’s a few hours a day or around the clock care, the caregivers are trained to care for your family members needs for personal care, nursing, pediatric or live-in care.

Companion Services – is when care staff come for social visiting, playing cards, games, reading, watching movies, pet care, walks, medication reminder, and grocery shopping.

Foot Care Services – such as foot assessments, nail cutting & filing, ingrown toe care, corn & callus care, and diabetic foot care education.

Home Making Services – offer cleaning such as floors, vacuuming, laundry, dish washing, dusting, bed washing, bed making, bathroom cleaning, kitchen cleaning, and overall tidying of the home.

Nursing Services – include RN’s, RPN’s, and PSW’s.  Help is available for administering meds, changing dressings, intravenous therapy, pain and symptom management, chronic disease management and therapy, ventilator care, and serious injury care.

Personal Care Services – provide help with getting in and out of bed, bathing and personal cleanliness, dressing, dental hygiene, personal grooming, and meal preparation.

Remote Health Monitoring – there are a number of different companies that offer this type of service.  It connects seniors with a Registered nurse who will monitor their vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, blood glucose, weight, blood oxygen) remotely.  This allows seniors to remain at home and manage their health properly.