Seniors' Guide
Health Services - Acute, Home and Community Care Services
B.C.’s health authorities provide a variety of acute and community health services, residential services and special support services to assist people whose ability to function independently is affected by health-related problems. The type of assistance and support required varies from one person to another, and may change over time for each individual.
Hospital Care
If you are registered with the Medical Services Plan, and have a valid CareCard, you are insured for most services provided by hospitals. This includes emergency care in the Emergency Department, inpatient care (where you stay overnight) and outpatient care (where you go in for a scheduled service and go home the same day).
When you are admitted into an acute care hospital in B.C. for inpatient care, you will automatically receive standard accommodation, meals, nursing services, and other goods and services that are medically required while you are a patient in the hospital. This includes any needed laboratory or diagnostic tests and X-rays, prescription medications, most medical supplies, routine surgical supplies, and rehabilitation services provided in the hospital.
Patients may only be charged for goods and services used in the hospital when they are not medically required. If you request a private or semi-private hospital room, you will be required to pay a room charge determined by the individual hospital; however, some third-party medical plans cover this cost. Patients may also be charged for certain non-standard medical devices, but you must give your consent to purchase these items in advance.
Patients are also responsible for paying for medical equipment, medical supplies, prosthetics that are not implanted in the body, and medications, when these are to be used after the patient returns home. Some of these items may be insured under Fair PharmaCare, depending on the circumstances of the patient.
Home and Community Care
Home and community care services provide health care and support services to eligible British Columbians who have acute, chronic, palliative or rehabilitative health care needs. They are provided by health authorities, either directly or through partnerships with non-profit and for profit housing and care providers. Services are meant to complement or supplement clients’ needs which are met mainly through families, friends and other community resources.
In-home services include home care nursing, rehabilitation, home support and palliative care. Community-based services include adult day programs, meal programs, assisted living, residential care services and hospice care. Case management services are provided in both the home and the community. Depending on the type of care required and an individual’s income, there may be a cost associated with some services. Contact your health authority for more information.
Home and Community Care Services
- Support clients to remain independent and in their own homes for as long as possible;
- Provide services at home to clients who would otherwise require admission to hospital or would stay longer in hospital;
- Provide assisted living and residential care services to clients who can no longer be supported in their homes; and
- Provide services that support people who are nearing the end of their life, and their families, at home, in assisted living, in residential care or in a hospice.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible for services such as home care nursing, physiotherapy or occupational therapy, clients must:
- Be a resident of British Columbia;
- Be a Canadian Citizen or have permanent resident status (landed immigrant or on a Minister’s permit approved by the Ministry of Health Services Medical Advisory Committee); and
- Require care following discharge from an acute care hospital, care at home rather than hospitalization, or care because of a terminal illness.
To be eligible for subsidized services, such as home support, assisted living, adult day care, case management, residential care services and/or palliative care services, clients must:
- Be 19 years of age or older;
- Have lived in British Columbia for the required period of time. (This depends on the service; contact your local health authority for current information.);
- Be a Canadian citizen or have permanent resident status (landed immigrant or on a Minister’s permit approved by the Ministry of Health Services Medical Advisory Committee); and
- Be unable to function independently because of chronic, health-related problems, or have been diagnosed by a doctor with an end-stage illness.
Obtaining Services
For information about home and community care services, contact your local health authority. A relative, friend or professional (physician, nurse, pharmacist or social worker) may also contact the health authority on a client’s behalf. A staff member determines the urgency of the client’s situation and if a care assessment is required.
Case Management and Care Coordination
Assessing the client’s care needs and abilities, the case manager develops a plan with the client and their family. The case manager recommends home health services and resources available in the community; refers clients to specific programs; and stays in touch to help clients with arrangements or to make needed adjustments if their care needs change.
Home Support
Home support services help clients remain in their own homes by providing personal assistance with daily activities. These include bathing, dressing, grooming and light household tasks to help maintain a safe and supportive home.
Choice in Supports for Independent Living (CSIL)
Choice in Supports for Independent Living is an alternative for clients who want more flexibility in arranging home support services. They receive funds to purchase their own services and they manage, coordinate and are financially responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, scheduling and supervising home support workers.
Family members who provide care and assistance may be eligible to be paid under this program.
Seniors and people with disabilities who are unable, or not always able, to direct their own care can obtain CSIL funding through a client support group. The case manager can provide more information on how to establish a support group to manage CSIL services on the client’s behalf.
Home Care Nursing and Community Rehabilitation Services
Home care nursing and community rehabilitation provide non-emergency, in-home nursing care and rehabilitation therapy. They assist British Columbians with acute or chronic illnesses, adults recovering from a hospital stay and clients nearing the end of their lives.
Adult Day Centres
Adult day programs provide supportive group programs and activities to assist seniors and adults with disabilities to remain independently in the community, and to provide caregivers with short periods of respite. Activities vary with each centre, but may include personal care, social activities and caregiver respite.
Caregiver Relief/Respite
Respite care offers caregivers temporary relief from the emotional and physical demands of caring for a friend or family member. It gives caregivers the opportunity to join in community activities or renew their energies so they can continue to provide quality care.
Respite can include assistance in the home or arranging for clients to attend adult day centres or be temporarily admitted to a residential care facility.
Assisted Living
Assisted living residences provide housing, hospitality and personalized assistance services for adults who can live independently, but require regular assistance with daily activities, usually due to age, illness or disability.
Residences range from a high-rise apartment complex to a private home. Units can vary from one room to private, self-contained apartments. Services may include help with bathing, grooming, dressing and mobility. Meals, housekeeping, laundry, social and recreational opportunities and a 24-hour response system are also provided.
The health and safety of assisted living occupants are overseen by a provincial assisted living registrar. The registrar ensures that complaints about health and safety are cleared up in a timely and effective way (see Assisted Living Registrar). For more information, see Independent Living BC in this guide.
Residential Care
Residential care is for people who need 24-hour professional nursing care and can no longer be supported in their own homes. For seniors and people with disabilities with complex care needs, residential care provides a protective, supportive environment. Clients with the highest need and urgency have priority for placement in the first appropriate bed available.
Group Homes
Adults with disabilities can often live independently in their community in publicly funded group homes. Group homes are safe, affordable homes, usually accommodating four to six residents. They offer short- or long-term accommodation, skills training, peer support and counselling.
Family Care Homes
Family care homes are single family residences that provide residents with a home-like atmosphere. Services include meals, housekeeping services and assistance with daily activities for up to two clients. Family care homes are most common in rural areas, where they allow residents to stay in their own communities.
End-of-Life Care
Compassionate end-of-life care aims to preserve clients’ comfort, dignity and quality of life by relieving symptoms, so those facing death can devote their energy and time to embracing that which is most important to them. End-of-life care services are provided to clients in their own homes and in home-like settings, assisted living residences, residential care facilities and hospices.
Hospices and Hospice Palliative Care
British Columbians who are in the end stages of a terminal illness or preparing for death, and who do not require acute hospital care, may prefer to spend their remaining time in a hospice. Hospices are home-like settings that provide hospice palliative care, including medical and nursing care, pain and symptom management, and psychosocial, spiritual and bereavement support. Some hospices may provide hospice palliative care services in the community to people who would rather receive this care at home.
BC Palliative Care Benefits Program
The BC Palliative Care Benefits Program assists people who are nearing the end of their lives to receive palliative care at home. British Columbians can apply through their doctors. The program provides coverage for medications used in palliative care through PharmaCare Plan P, and some medical supplies and equipment through the local health authority.
For More Information
For more information on home and community care services, visit the home and community care website at:
www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/hcc/index.html
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