Hello everyone.
That is a good question, Ms. Sgro. I am going to continue in the same vein by asking other questions.
You offer home support services to veterans. I understand that priority is given to home care rather than care in institutions. It is less expensive. You offer several services: inhalation therapy, nursing care, housekeeping, assistance with bathing, etc.
In Quebec, in each region, there are CLSCs, local community service centres, where professionals such as inhalation therapists, nurses and social workers are employed. They offer a range of services. In Quebec, there are social economy cooperatives that offer housekeeping services and assistance with bathing to the public. There is a great deal of pressure exerted on the system, because the aging population needs these services.
How do you link these services? When you assess people who need home support services, for example, do you use the same grid to evaluate the number of service hours required as that used by the institutional network for the population as a whole?
Waiting lists are a problem that the health care system is often confronted with. When someone asks for assistance with bathing or home care, his or her name is placed on a waiting list, and it may take some time before the request is evaluated. Are the waiting lists longer or shorter than those for the existing institutional network? Is the program of service and resource allocation more or less generous? Do you evaluate customer satisfaction with regard to the services offered? Often, the existing network provides for only one bath for someone who might need three per week. Services are being cut, and the same is true for housekeeping services.
Is your budget adequate enough to allow you to offer these services to the clientele? It is a big question, but now the floor is yours.