Nova Scotia Releases Continuing Care Strategy

Nova Scotia has reached a milestone in its plan to ensure every Nova Scotian can live well in a place that they can call home.

Health Minister Chris d'Entremont today, May 10, released the Continuing Care Strategy for Nova Scotia: Shaping the Future of Continuing Care. The strategy launches work on a 10-year action plan to improve and expand the province's continuing care system.

"In rolling out this strategy, we will help individuals and families be healthy, active, and independent at home -- where they want to be -- as long as possible," said Mr. d'Entremont.

"Providing programs and services in homes and communities is a main focus of this strategy. This approach is the most economical, most flexible, and offers individuals and families the highest level of independence and quality of life."

The strategy is focused on making improvements in five key areas that:

• Support individuals and families
• Support community solutions
• Invest in providers
• Strengthen the continuing care services
• Invest in infrastructure.

"Implementing this strategy will take time, but I'm pleased to say that we are moving forward with many initiatives immediately," said Mr. d'Entremont.

The action plan for 2006-07 includes a number of new and expanded home and community care services including:

• Expanded Home Oxygen: The province will spend $360,000 over the next two years to expand home oxygen authorizations to include portable oxygen. This will result in increased mobility and independence for these home-care clients.

• Expanded Respite Options: An additional $3 million over the next two years will be spent to develop and expand a wide range of respite options, including: improving access to respite in home and long-term care; developing a provincial adult day program; and addressing emergency care service needs. All these options will allow a person's care needs to be met while giving a break to caregivers.

• Expansion of Provincial Palliative Care Services: The province will expand the palliative care program across the province to ensure families will have more choices when a loved one is faced with a life-threatening illness. The program will follow the model that has been successfully operating in the northern region of the province. More than $3.1 million will be spent on the program over the next two years, which will include such things as home care authorizations, oxygen, and medication coverage.

"This strategy would not have been possible without the great input we received from volunteers, care providers, staff, and many other Nova Scotians who participated in our consultation meetings last year," said Mr. d'Entremont. "I want to thank those who participated because it was from their ideas that this home and community centred strategy has emerged."

The strategy also includes a commitment to open 1,320 new long-term care beds across the province in the next 10 years.

"Even though only five per cent of our seniors ever enter a nursing home, it's vitally important for them and their families to know that, when they can no longer live at home, a facility is available to them, as close to home as possible. This investment will ensure they have home to go to when they can no longer care for themselves," said Mr. d'Entremont.

In the provincial budget tabled Tuesday, May 9, the province committed $327 million towards long-term care and $149 million to home care for 2006-07. The total investment of $476 million represents an increase of $51 million over last year.

For a copy of the complete Continuing Care Strategy for Nova Scotia: Shaping the Future of Continuing Care, see the Department of Health website at www.gov.ns.ca/health