Wait list continues for personal care homes 0
By Angela Brown, Portage Daily Graphic
Personal care homes in the Central Region continue to deal with wait lists with more elderly individuals seeking spaces in the area's facilities.
There are currently waiting-lists for beds in personal care homes in Central Region, as well as in other parts of Manitoba.
Paulette Goossen is regional program director for seniors and palliative care with Regional Health Authority -- Central Manitoba Inc.
"There is a wait list for the Portage community, but there are wait lists all across the province," Goossen said.
Manitoba Health is responsible for approving the builds of any new personal care homes, and has plans in place for more facilities in the future.
"One of their announcements that they did a few years ago was that there are building a new Tabor Home in the south part of the region," Goossen said.
"They will be building a 100-bed unit. They have announced a few other builds across the province," she added. "So, the potential to increase beds might be there with new personal care home builds, depending on what the Province decides."
For seniors who need help, the RHA does offer support programs, such as Support for Seniors in Group Living and the Congregate Meals program, that has been helping individuals in the central region.
"Those are some of the things that are really key in maintaining people in their home environments," Goossen said. "Ideally, you want to be able to provide care as close to home as possible, supported through the home-care program. Other programs that keep people socially connected - which is very important."
Not everyone necessarily needs to live in a personal care home if there are other options that are more suitable for their needs.
The local health authority is focusing on establishing a new plan to help deal with seniors' care requirements.
"The Regional Health Authority is currently working on a Seniors' Strategy to address some of the pressures that are being experienced in communities with an increasing aging population and demand for services," said Goossen.
Portage