Rural residents of east Southgate Township and in north Wellington will now have increased access to personal support services and other community-based programs through the expansion of the Integrated Assisted Living Program (IALP).
Funded through the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network’s (WWLHINs) Aging at Home initiative, the IALP is delivered by the Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre (WWCCAC) to eligible adults 65 years and older.
The goal of the program is to support aging in place by preventing premature placement into long-term care, and eliminating medically unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations by helping clients enhance their health status, well-being, and quality of life.
Through a community approach, the program provides personal support services to older adults with complex health needs who have limitations with activities of daily living.
The geographic area where the program is delivered is selected based on data that shows areas with high numbers of older adults making repeat visits to hospital emergency departments, and existing Access Centre clients who have been identified as being at risk. The model to address the needs of the rural community was developed out of the WWLHIN’s extensive 2009 community consultation process as part of the Rural Health Care Review, and out of the centre’s consultation with agencies this year to address the challenges of rural health care.
The core services of the program includes access to a personal support worker who can provide support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The program also supports clients by providing links to health and wellness programs, including social supports, recreation, activation, and education.
The implementation of the program is to address two of the nine recommendations included in the Rural Health Care review report endorsed by the LHIN board of directors in January. Those recommendations focus on the availability of community support services for rural seniors and reviewing access to Access Centre professional services in rural areas.
“The uniqueness of this program allows care providers to address the individual needs of each IALP client,” said Bruce Lauckner, interim chief executive officer of the LHIN. “We know that there are specific challenges related to the delivery of rural health care. Through our partnerships, we have introduced a rural Integrated Assisted Living Program, with the residents’ needs being at the forefront. IALP is a major step in improving access to care for our rural seniors.”
Kevin Mercer, the CEO of the local Access Centre, said, “We know that there are challenges on many fronts to deliver effective and efficient health care services to rural residents. Through the Integrate Assisted Living Program, we expect that rural residents will experience an improved access to services and supports and feel a greater sense of reassurance to know that they can access help 24 hours per day, seven days per week.”
The LHIN has allocated $4,940,853 for the IALP for the current fiscal year, which ends March 31. Of that, approximately $765,000 will be earmarked for the rural health IALP in east Southgate and north Wellington to serve 60 clients.
In 2009-10, the LHIN spent $958,789 through the Aging at Home program for the IALP.
The program was implemented in the Langs/Eagle/King neighbourhood in Cambridge last December. Three neighbourhoods in Kitchener were added in spring, including: Franklin, Wilson and Fourth and Margaret, and Queen.
Currently, 179 clients are receiving assistance through the IALP. Additional urban IALP neighbourhoods are being planned for this year.
The Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network is responsible for planning, integrating, coordinating and providing funding to 79 health service providers including hospitals, long-term care homes, community support services, community health centres, the Community Care Access Centre and community mental health and addictions agencies in Waterloo Region, Wellington County and South Grey. The WWLHIN operates an annual health care budget of close to $876-million.
The Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Center (CCAC) is one of fourteen centres in the province. In 2009-10, it helped over 34,300 people use the health and support services they need to stay in their own home, return safely to home from hospital, or to prevent hospital admission. It also helped 1,600 people make the transition into long-term care. Its funding of $100-million is provided by the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network.
For more information, visit www.wwlhin.on.ca or www.ww.ccac-ont.ca.
