Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier in my statement I kind of gave an overview in terms of having two elder facilities in my riding, both in Hay River and Fort Providence. My question is to the Minister responsible for Seniors. I just want to understand what level of seniors’ care is offered at the facilities both in Fort Providence and Hay River.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Both of those facilities are right now independent living facilities. The programs that can be offered for the tenants in those two facilities are home care. That would be independent living and home care.
What other programs and services are available for elders in the Deh Cho communities?
Depending on the level of need, after independent living we can offer supported living, which is more home support, home care programs, going into people’s private homes, or into public housing, or into senior citizens’ homes. Also, there is assisted living, which is like people that are in some of the seniors homes where there are people supporting them to live in the home. Then from the assisted living, if need be, there’s an opportunity for individuals on a need basis to go into long-term care and extended care and so on.
We all know that here in the Northwest Territories we have an aging population of mostly seniors. Has there been a needs assessment done for programs and service for seniors in both rural and remote communities across the Northwest Territories?
We are currently looking at what we’re referring to as a continuum of care for seniors. That is looking at all the programs, and a priority is to try to keep seniors in their private homes to provide supports, perhaps making their units barrier free, working with NWT Housing Corporation or seniors friendly. That’s another level also, below barrier free, and so on. Right to where they’re starting with individuals attempting to keep them in their home as long as possible, right through to extended care and trying to fit the seniors into all of those supportive programs, and trying to keep them in their home as long as possible, and try to keep them out of long-term care and extended care as long as possible.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final supplementary, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to see if the Minister would look at the idea of trying to increase the independence of elders to live in their own homes as long as possible. Would the Minister commit to look at ways to localize more services for elders in small communities?
Yes, we are prepared to look at that. We are looking at that very closely. We think it’s very beneficial to the government and the seniors across the North, if we were able to provide supports for individuals to remain in their home.
