Continuing Care Guidelines

Continuing Care Priorities

Choices in Accommodation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing Care Information



This is a Calgary Herald story about a young woman who has MS that lives in a long term care facility with seniors.

Old Before Her Time - Calgary Herald Article

Follow up articles to this story:

Home Care Funding Under Scrutiny

Disabled Care Review Promised


What is continuing Care?

Continuing Care is a system of service delivery, which provides individuals who have chronic health conditions or disabilities, with access to services they need to experience independence and quality living. These services include therapeutic services, personal care services and a range of other services. They may be provided short term or long term. These services are provided in long term care facilities, in community settings, such as supportive living and in a person’s own home. Publicly funded continuing care services are provided by or contracted to regional health authorities.

There are three streams:

Home Living:

The primary housing option for persons who are able to live independently and with minimal support services. In order to support continued independent living, basic Home Care services may be provided and/or the individual can purchase services from an another agency.

Supportive Living:

This is both a philosophy and an approach for providing services within a housing environment. It provides a residential setting where people can maintain control over their lives while also receiving the support they need. Examples are: personal care homes and Designated Assisted Living.

Facility Living:

Long term care facilities provide a range of care services including professional services such as nursing services, personal services, life enrichment, as well as accommodations and meals. Residents in long term care facilities typically require access to unscheduled 24 hour professional nursing services.

Continuing Care Update

The Alberta Division has continued to work hard on improving quality of life for young persons living with MS who are in the continuing care system.

What have we achieved to date?

  • Developed Choice in Care and Accommodation – Issues Priorities and a summary document that have identified the priorities for young adults with disabilities. Developed Voices and Choices in Accommodations and Care document that outlines the particular issues that young persons face when in the continuing care system The documents have been endorsed by the Alberta Disabilities Forum (ADF), a coalition of 42 disability organizations across the province.
  • Presented to the Continuing Care Leaders Council which is represented by the Chief Operating Officers from the 8 health regions throughout Alberta. This council has the coordinating responsibility to implement the recommendations from the MLA Task Force report entitled, Achieving Excellence in Continuing Care. At that presentation we emphasized our desire to work collaboratively to find solutions to the issues faced by special populations who rely on continuing care services.
  • Participated in a tour of supportive living options in Edmonton.
  • Met with the Office for Disability Issues, Alberta Health and Wellness, and Seniors and Community Supports. These Ministries are aware of our efforts to influence improvements to continuing care including monitoring the implementation of the Continuing Care Services and Accommodation Standards that are currently being developed in response to the MLA Task Force recommendations.
  • An individual with MS who lives in a long term care facility and is a member of the Calgary Government & Community Relations Committee has been appointed to the Accommodation & Services Implementation Steering Committee and the working groups. The representative on this steering committee is The MS Society is working in cooperation with the Alberta Disability Forum which represents 42 provincial non- profit disability organizations to influence changes to continuing care.
  • A senior staff member has been appointed to sit on the new Northern Alberta Steering Committee on the integration of MS services. This committee is responsible for linking and coordinating all MS programs and services in the Capital health region.

Next Steps:

  • The Choice in Care and Accommodation – Issues Priorities and a summary document will be provided to Alberta Health and Wellness for review.
  • The Alberta Disabilities Forum will identify an individual who could participate on the Health Services Steering Committee. The steering committee is responsible for the implementation of the new service standards. So how will these changes look if our recommendations are adopted?

We would like to see the $3,000 ceiling on personal care allowances removed so that more people can receive the support they need to remain in their own homes. We also want more personal care attendants trained and paid more to stem the labor shortage that now exists. And of course, we really want to ensure that young people living in supportive living homes or long term care facilities receive more age appropriate accommodations and services.