‘We need to do much better’: N.B. Health Council reports home care shortcomings

Forty-two per cent of New Brunswickers feel their home care needs aren’t being met, according to the New Brunswick Health Council.

“I think it speaks to a very important issue,” says Stéphane Robichaud, who is the chief executive officer of the council. “We need to do much better from a public service perspective at grasping and understanding these situations across New Brunswick.”

New Brunswick Health Council officials released the findings Tuesday, after surveying approximately 14,500 residents across the province.

Of an estimated 38,000 residents needing home care services, 12,500 have none of their needs met, while 3,500 say some of their needs have been met.

It’s an issue that’s been a long time coming, according to Haley Flaro, executive director of Ability New Brunswick.

“It’s certainly concerning,” she says. “We’ve known this is coming, we know this issue is progressing, but today is a really big reality check.”

The number of people in need of care is on the rise, leading the cause for concern.

“We have the second-highest rate of disability in Canada, second only to Nova Scotia,” Flaro says. “Statistics Canada just released new stats last week, and we’ve moved from 16.4 per cent of our population with a disability to 26.7 per cent.”

Some of the notable needs that aren’t being met according to the findings include bathing, meal prep or housekeeping, which are services managed by the Department of Social Development.

Medavie Health Services manages services including short-term care, palliative care and rehab services.

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But the number of people in need of those services varies from community to community.

“We have to put more emphasis on better understanding these variabilities across New Brunswick,” says Robichaud. “The problem can be far more significant in some parts of the province than others.”

Minister of Social Development Dorthy Shephard wasn’t available for an interview, but a department spokesperson responded to the findings in a statement.

“One of the top priorities at the Department of Social Development is to enhance the care and support that seniors and individuals living with a disability may require to maintain their independence and allow them to stay at home,” the statement reads. “As the New Brunswick Health Council identified, there is a geographic component to the home care needs in our province. We continue to work toward finding innovative solutions to address any gaps in services that may exist in rural areas.

“A joint initiative is currently underway between the departments of Health, Social Development, and Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour and the Human Services Coalition,” it goes on to say, “to develop a human resource plan to recruit, train and retain human service workers to ensure the needs of those in need of home care are met.”

The council notes “unmet needs” could relate to something not currently offered or someone who may not have requested services.

And while Flaro is encouraged by the recruitment effort, she says a solution can’t come soon enough — especially with an aging population.

“I’ve seen way too many people getting admitted to hospital that, with access to home support services, could stay at home,” she says. “That’s a real concern considering the overload to our health system.”