Seniors here have more options for home care thanks for the local Seniors Centre for Excellence.
For the past year, the Mapleton-based seniors’ centre has offered a Brokered Homemaking Program across the North Wellington region.
The program, which recently expanded into Centre Wellington, run through the Township of Mapleton and funded by the Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), as part of the Ministry of Health’s Aging at Home strategy. The goal is to eventually have consistent and equal home care services available to all seniors regardless of where they live in the province.
The Aging at Home strategy was launched in August 2007 and aims to support seniors in their desire to live independently, for as long as possible in a home of their choice. Approximately $700 million in funding has been allocated to the initiative, to be divided amongst Ontario’s 14 LHINs.
As Ontario’s population continues to age, the LHIN predicts the number of seniors in the province will double in 16 years, therefore, community living options will need to expand dramatically to meet that need.
Helen Edwards, seniors’ health services coordinator at the centre, says consistent access to services is especially important in rural communities, to ensure giving up one’s home does not become an inevitable part of aging.
“You want to support people to age in their home, not for them to have to change the location of their home,” Edwards told the Community News recently. “(So) we do go out into the sideroads for people who are living in the country.”
In the Brokered Homemaking Program, homemakers are hired at a rate of $14 per hour, with a minimum two-hour visit scheduled with clients – typically bi-weekly. During the screening process, the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) match workers with clients based on a variety of factors, including service needs. After placement, homemakers provide a wide range of services which include, but are not limited to: vacuuming, laundry, meal preparation, pet care, grocery shopping, seasonal decoration and home maintenance.
“As you age, things such as cleaning your bathtub and vacuuming can become a bit overwhelming, and it doesn’t leave a lot of energy to do the things that you’d actually like to do, that actually bring you some pleasure,” Edwards said. “So they really appreciate having someone come in, and it helps them to be able to stay in their homes.”
Wellington North resident Sheryl Elliston has been a client with the program since November 2013, and called the service, “life-changing.”
Though Elliston was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 20 years ago, she has tried to maintain her independence as much as possible. For her, signing up for the homemaking program felt like “giving-in.” However, now that she has help with some of her housework, she has more time and energy to devote to the things she enjoys.
“Accepting help is not a weakness,” she says. “I know it’s not easy to do. There’s different levels of life-changing, but in day-to-day living, it made a big change for me.”
As a former home care worker herself, Elliston understands the pride many women take in maintaining their homes and how difficult it can be to accept help. To overcome similar reservations, Elliston says she focussed on the fact she was providing someone with employment, so as they helped her, she was helping them too.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve done. It lets me do other things. I’m getting more done because I don’t feel burdened by looking around and seeing the dust. One-hundred per cent I would recommend it to anybody that is in need of it,” she says.
There are currently 35 clients using the service, and Edwards hopes to see that number reach 55 by next year with the expansion to Centre Wellington. The increase is expected to help alleviate some of the strain on retirement homes and long-term care facilities.
Edwards says the service has really taken off in Wellington North.
“We are really trying to highlight the program’s availability in Mapleton and Minto,” she adds.
“It’s great to have (retirement homes) but everybody wants to stay in their home for as long as they possibly can, and that’s the goal of the Aging at Home strategy – for people to stay in their homes for as long as they can safely.”
The one-on-one interaction between homemakers and their clients, is another feature that makes the service so sought after, providing a social connection for those not able to be out and about in the community as they once were.
“It’s been amazing,” Edwards says. “The clients really look forward to having the homemakers come into their homes, a relationship is built over time, and there’s a lot of relief on the part of the seniors that their home is being taken care of.
“I think (the program) brings a lot of joy to the seniors for sure – and to the homemakers as well.”
The Seniors’ Centre for Excellence provides seniors with a central point of access to transportation, preventative care, friendly visits, exercise programs, social and recreational programs, and one-on-one support services in Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North. The program is a partnership between the Centre and VON, with funding from WWLHIN.
To contact the centre, located on the lower level of the Mapleton Community Health Centre, call 519-638-1000.
– With files from Patrick Raftis
