Government home-care policy that excludes family members from providing paid care is limiting options available to many patients, especially those living in more rural and remote areas where the availability of care workers is limited, says Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones.
In a news release Jones says that policies within the Department of Health and Community Services state that immediate family members are not eligible to receive government funding to provide care to their relatives. Section 7.30 of the home -support guidelines defines a family member and sometimes permits a special circumstance that allows a family member to provide care. While this is outlined in the policy, many families are indicating that this provision is not being enacted and their situation is not being appropriately accommodated.
"There are many people in rural communities throughout the province that are having significant difficulty obtaining home-care services due to smaller populations," Jones said.
"Families that have contacted our office have outlined the difficulty of getting non-related workers to provide this necessary care. While family members would very much be willing to provide care for free, the financial difficulties of staying home without pay makes it very challenging.
"I would encourage government to look at this policy and determine whether it can be improved to address these types of circumstances."
Home-care policies negatively impacting rural residents, opposition charges
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Published on
January 13, 2010
- Published on July 1, 2010
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Staff ~ The Telegram
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