Home Care program adjusts for pandemic

By Jennifer Spencer
Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
Published Monday, April 27, 2020

It's a story many of us are familiar with: a family member has a fall or receives news of a chronic condition and is admitted to hospital. After they are treated for their most serious symptoms, they are cleared to head home – but things are not the same. They need more help to move about the house. Perhaps they have an additional medication requirement, or need assistance to get in and out of bed, get dressed and more.

Enter the Home Care program.

The Home Care Program was established in 1974 to help people live at home, remaining independent for as long as possible, thereby avoiding or delaying the need for individuals to go into long-term care facilities.

The mandate of the program has always been to provide effective, reliable and responsive community health-care services to support independent living and develop appropriate care options with clients and/or their families. While those goals haven't changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, clients and their families shouldn't be surprised to find that some adjustments are required in these challenging times.

In particular, family members are being consulted more often. Discussions are taking place to determine how best to continue to care for home-care clients, maximizing their safety and well-being while adhering to provincial social-distancing requirements. In some cases, this means families are being asked to chip in with added assistance for their loved ones under care, where possible.

Home-care supports, such as administering medications or making sure clients are able to eat, are tasks that will continue to receive support each day. However, where that help can be offered by family members, it will allow home-care staff to attend other clients for whom family support isn't available.

It is important to note that while the frequency of service delivery may change, home care will continue to provide in-home visits to all clients on a modified schedule during this time of disruption across our system.

At all times, families and caregivers are an essential element of the care continuum; this becomes even more true during these unprecedented times, when they can be a critical link. Families can be an integral part of the support team if they are able to assist their loved ones with everyday tasks such as laundry, bathing, getting out of bed, dressing, and feeding. They can also support by working with home-care staff to reduce the frequency of visits during this specific time as we ride out the impact of COVID-19 on our society.

Likewise, if clients or family members have ideas or suggestions for how they can modify care plans, they are encouraged to connect directly with their case or nursing resource co-ordinators. While co-ordinators are reaching out to many home-care clients individually to discuss potential modifications, families and clients are also encouraged to reach out to their care teams directly if they have ideas or suggestions. Effective home care is a partnership between the client and family and the home-care team. This partnership is essential to achieve the best possible care outcomes.

While service delivery will not be eliminated entirely, some services may be delivered on a different schedule, with more time between visits. It is important that clients and family members continue to engage with home-care providers to ensure these necessary changes are clear and that strategies are put in place for all parties to be as comfortable as possible during these unprecedented times.

This type of rescheduling is not exclusive to home care; it is akin to measures being taken in other parts of the health-care system where, for instance, elective surgeries are being temporarily deferred to help hospital staff better cope with changing priorities made necessary by the pandemic.

Manitoba's Home Care teams – including support workers, health-care aides, nursing staff and case co-ordinators – are committed to making this interim period as comfortable as possible for their clients, and to minimize disruptions wherever possible.

Family members and clients can access their case or nursing resource co-ordinators between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Co-ordinators are available to support clients, families and staff and to support any requests for additional information, to adjust service plans to best support the needs of our clients and the capacity of the care teams.

As always, any person who experiences an alarming change in their health condition should call 911 or head to an emergency department immediately.

While these are difficult and challenging times for us all, the priority of the Home Care Program remains the health and safety of our clients. Every client is important, as are their families. We will continue to work with you to determine the best possible options for care when, as now, flexibility and adaptability are required to meet the challenges of the day.

With your support and understanding, we are committed and will continue to make timely, excellent care – and our clients' independence – our top priority. We're all in this together.

Phone numbers for each community area are available here.

Otherwise, concerns should be directed to WRHA’s client relations department at 204-926-7825.

Jennifer Spencer is acting director, Centralized Home Care Operations and Palliative for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. This column was published in the Winnipeg Free Press on Monday, April 27, 2020.