Keeping New Brunswickers in Our Communities

1. Keeping New Brunswickers in Our Communities

2. Keeping New Brunswickers in OurCommunities New Brunswick Home Support Association There are presently 3500+ home support staff in New Brunswick working for 44 agencies. We service clients in New Brunswick Homes from assisting people with chronic diseases to light housekeeping and socialization and many facets in between. Our employees must have first aide, CPR, criminal and Social Development background checks. The industry has introduced a compulsory education process to improve quality of care. The industry has become an essential service due to the impact it can have on health system.

3. Keeping New Brunswickers in Their Communities New Brunswick Home Support Association

4. Keeping New Brunswickers in Their Communities New Brunswick Home Support Association In home care / community care is the most efficient, feasible and desired option for New Brunswickers. It keeps people in their communities and homes. From a sustainability standpoint it provides better investment and a more desired outcome than institutions.

5. Keeping New Brunswickers in OurCommunities New Brunswick Home Support Association The service puts people to work while providing benefit to New Brunswickers. We can help reduce the outward migration of workers to the west. Provincial monies spent are paid our through wages and re-invested in New Brunswick communities. We can save monies for health system through increasing services in the home.

6. Keeping New Brunswickers in OurCommunities New Brunswick Home Support Association • Key issues impacting industry: • Recruitment & retention • Quality of service • Investment in industry • Holistic approach

7. Keeping New Brunswickers in Our Communities New Brunswick Home Support Association • Recruitment Retention • Our staff average 52-54 years of age – 10 years from now? • Female • Grade 10 education Issues • There is no career path – being addressed through education • Staff turns are approximately 30%-40% • New staff not coming in enough volume to address needs • Funding does not allow for sustainable training • Pay levels impacting dramatically

8. Keeping New Brunswickers in Our Communities New Brunswick Home Support Association • Quality of Service • Changing needs in New Brunswick • Chronic disease increasing • Number of people requiring assistance increasing • Centralization of health care • NBHSA in partnership with SDA and PETL have developed an education process to improve the quality of service to clients • Process • Grandfathering and testing existing staff – good report for experienced staff • Creation of curriculum for industry to follow – unique to in home service • Roll out of training to all existing and new staff who have not been trained • Accountability for all agencies • Education offered to private workers as well

9. Keeping New Brunswickers in Our Communities New Brunswick Home Support Association • Quality of Service - General • Delays in SDA assessments • Decline in hours offered through SDA • Increase in co-pay for hours (as with drugs) • More difficult to obtain assistance

10. Keeping New Brunswickers in OurCommunities New Brunswick Home Support Association • Investment in Industry • Has been minimal • Present (and past) governments had promised investment in industry- has not been kept • Without investment Education program will fail • All prior investment and effort will have been wasted.

11. Keeping New Brunswickers in OurCommunities New Brunswick Home Support Association • Where do we find the money? • A collaborative holistic approach by departments & industry to provide a long term sustainable approach to the issue – the NBHSA has not had meaningful input to date. • Social Development • Health • PETL & Education • Women’s Equality (Pay Equity)

12. Keeping New Brunswickers in Our Communities New Brunswick Home Support Association Using an example of falls we will show where we can help Health reduce costs. Facts for New Brunswick * Department of Health 111,000 seniors 33% will fall annually- 37000. 25% will go to hospital -9250 Average stay in NB hospital is 15 days At cost of $1000 per day annual cost to province is $138 million. If Home Support can prevent even 25% of the falls the saving annually is $34.5million. How? Falls are caused by clutter, getting out of bed etc. Home Support can help  Getting people to move on a regular basis. Home care can help

13. Keeping New Brunswickers in Our Communities New Brunswick Home Support Association • So what are we asking from you? • This will take time as NB appears and is behind other provinces addressing the needs for long term care. We require an immediate bridge. New Brunswick has put too much focus on institutions and not enough on New Brunswick needs and desires. • We need your voices to help ensure trained care aides will be available to meet the increasing need. • We need a statement from you to the government urging immediate investment in home care and transparency on their plans.

14. Keeping New Brunswickers in Our Communities New Brunswick Home Support Association We need you to urge your members to contact their MLA’s to ask what plans are in place to deal with the increased demand for in home community care. We need you question the approach for long term care and timelines – are we ready? It appears not. We need you to question any announcements for spending versus the need for investment in this essential service

15. Keeping New Brunswickers in Our Communities New Brunswick Home Support Association The need is growing dramatically. The supply of trained staff is declining. We need your enthusiastic support of community based services in which home care is a critical component. Help us change the landscape of community care!