SASKATOON – Living independently is a personal goal set by many seniors, benefiting them, their families and the bottom line of provincial health budgets.
A new program, Home First/Quick Response, launched Tuesday in Saskatoon. It is hoped to be pivotal in changing the path of long-term care in Saskatchewan.
“I was out cold, I hit the back of my head on the refrigerator,” said 69-year-old Elaine Harrison as she recalled a nasty fall she took last month.
“I laid on this kitchen floor for seven hours.”
It’s the type of slip that could forever change the course of a senior citizen’s life.
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The $2 million program aims to assist seniors through acute incidents such as this one.
“It would be an enhanced form of home care in a short period of time to get them stabilized and back into their home,” said Health Minister Dustin Duncan.
With a provincial shortage of rooms in long-term care facilities, keeping seniors in their own homes is seen as a critical step in improving the healthcare system.
“Right now, we have these individuals waiting in acute care. There are over 60 of those individuals right now,” said Sandra Blevins, the Saskatoon Health Region’s VP of integrated health services.
Program funding will make more nurses, practitioners, care assistants and occupational therapists available to resident’s homes and offer assistance.
Success is measured by whether there’s a drop in re-admissions to hospitals and the number of visits to emergency rooms.
A reduction in either would save the province valuable dollars in a tight health budget.
A survey of 500 seniors by the Saskatoon Council on Aging found they overwhelmingly prefer to remain in their homes as long as possible.
“It makes you still feel young and capable,” said Harrison.
And it’s that mindset that can go a long way for seniors and the entire healthcare system.
The two-year pilot program will be expanded if it’s found to be successful. It will also be launched in Prince Albert.
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