The importance of home support workers was key for B.C. Ombudsperson Kim Carter, speaking at a recent conference on seniors home support.
The one-day conference, which was on Oct. 16 at a hotel in Burnaby, was attended by union representatives, home support employers, workers and government officials.
Carter, one of the guest speakers, said the recognition of the importance and value of home support workers was the main focus of her presentation.
"There were a lot of front-line home support workers in the audience. They were a very engaged and interested audience, because they live with a number of the issues we've identified on a daily basis," Carter said.
Some of those issues include equal protection for people speaking out against elder abuse or inadequate care and establishing a standardized time allotment for certain home-care tasks. For instance, Carter's presentation included a case where an elderly woman's home support hours were cut in half because the health authority believed the same number of tasks could be performed in less time. Once Carter's office investigated the complaint, the health authority reversed its assertion and restored most of the home support hours. A standardized time allotment for home-care tasks would help ensure agencies providing home support are all on the same page, since many measure the things they do to help seniors differently.
Home care, Carter noted in her presentation, saves the government money. People whose home support services were cut ended up costing the health-care system 52 per cent more than who were receiving help at home.
Carter has made 176 recommendations to government to improve care for seniors - recommendations regarding home and community care, home support, assisted living and residential care. The government is reviewing those recommendations. In the meantime, those with complaints can contact the Ombudsperson at 1-800-567-3247.
