Home care “chaotic, underfunded”

contributed by Ellen Richards and Janet MacDonald, Action Physiotherapy Home Care

“Ontario’s home care system is chaotic, underfunded and in many cases simply non-existent.”

The Toronto Star, October 31, 1998.

his statement sums up the frustrations felt by hospital staff, family care givers, health care professionals in the public sector and of course patients. Articles are appearing in local and national newspapers and radio. But why is home care such a hot topic lately?

To answer this question one must first examine a phenomenon known as “offloading”. Health care offloading, as the name implies, simply means a shift in responsibility for the health care dollar. The provincial government places restrictions on hospital spending. The hospitals in turn realize savings with early discharges. The patient, now home and still recuperating, becomes the family’s responsibility. To cope, families are turning to home care services for assistance. Overall, health care is offloaded to home care services.

According to the National Forum on Health, home care is the fastest growing part of the Canadian health care system. But with the explosion in demand, only about half of those needing home care actually get it (Stats Canada). In Ontario, community care access centres (CCAC) operate to determine the need for home care in a specific region. They then contract with agencies, either publicly funded, like Victorian Order of Nurses (VON), or private services. The CCAC is overwhelmed by referrals resulting from early hospital discharges and are forced to prioritize their clients’ needs. Consequently, services for lower priority cases, too often the elderly, are trimmed. Clients wait for 2 or more weeks before they are first seen by a Physiotherapist, and even then the visits are usually only once a week.

Changes in health care spending are deeply impacting the specialized health concerns of the elderly population in every residential setting. Long Term Care (LTC) facilities, i.e., nursing homes, usually receive OHIP-funded physiotherapy provided by Schedule 5 clinics. On November 11, 1998, the Ministry of Health imposed a 15% clawback to this service (the second cutback in two years). The result: Schedule 5- covered Physiotherapists are scrambling to meet the needs of the LTC population. Subsequently, many nursing home and retirement home residents are relying on CCAC physiotherapy services. These services are so overwhelmed that the waiting list is four to six weeks.

Elderconnection member Action Physiotherapy Home Care (APHC) is one of only a few private home care services in Ontario that provide physiotherapy in the privacy of the patient’s home/nursing/retirement residence. APHC, which is physiotherapist- owned and operated, services Oakville, Burlington, Mississauga, Brampton, Milton, and Georgetown. Its physiotherapists have a wealth of experience and training in the treatment of paediatric to geriatric health concerns. They have extensive post graduate credentials in Neurology, Cardiorespiratory and Orthopaedic physiotherapy.

“It’s vital that the public understand that alternatives are available to them”, says Ellen Richards, physiotherapist and co-owner of APHC. “Why wait on a waiting list when you don’t have to? APHC can bridge the gap between an overwhelmed public home care system and a patient’s fast, efficient recovery.”

Unfortunately there is a misconception that such quality service is not affordable, but the added bonus of APHC’s quality service is the affordability. The Ontario College of Physiotherapists imposes strict guidelines for services like home care. This ensures that private services are affordable and an option for many, even those waiting for CCAC physiotherapy.

“Most people have physiotherapy coverage through their extended health care plans and don’t realize it”, says Janet MacDonald, physiotherapist and co-owner of APHC. “If you have a health plan that covers dental and pharmaceutical services, you more then likely have physiotherapy coverage as well.”

To access private physiotherapy home care like APHC, a patient or family member simply need call to set up an appointment. Private physiotherapy home care allows clients to have treatment sooner and more frequently. APHC promotes an early intervention in the rehabilitation process for an earlier return to active living and has a no waiting list policy. You can reach Action Physiotherapy Home Care at (905) 457- 7475 (Brampton) or (905) 257-2952 (Oakville). Is there some development in the news that affects your business and that you want to comment on? Send your 500-word submission to the email address below.

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