Marci Cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement I spoke about homecare services. I'd like to ask the Minister what the status is of a departmental review of the current homecare services? Thank you.
Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've already mentioned several times in the House over the last couple of weeks that we're currently working on the Continuing Care Services Action Plan for the Northwest Territories which includes review of our home care services provided to date and what level of services we need to provide to meet the needs of our residents, you know, addressing the fact that we do have an aging population in addition to demands on home care. It's also looking at our long-term care demands and how we're going to address those as well as our palliative care demands and how we're going to address those. We're hoping to have that action plan out by the end of the fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister what actions were taken this fiscal year, 2016-2017, to improve the home care services even if it's within the continuing care?
Mr. Speaker, we have been working on some of our respite and home care services for seniors across the Northwest Territories. We have identified respite beds that are available across the Northwest Territories in our different facilities, and we're looking to get more information out there about the types of programs that we provide under home care.
We do provide home support in most communities and certainly all regions in the Northwest Territories. They are based on a medical referral. You do have to be referred for home care and a physician or a practitioner will identify the degree or range or level of support you need under home care.
We do provide that across the Northwest Territories, but we do acknowledge more needs to be done. We do acknowledge with our aging population we do need to put in some additional supports.
I'd like to ask the Minister how the department is working with the NWT Housing Corporation on the whole idea of aging in place?
Mr. Speaker, one of our key partners in aging in place within the Government of the Northwest Territories is the NWT Housing Corporation who has a number of programs for seniors so that they can make modifications to their homes as they age to help them stay in their homes for as long as possible. There is a recognition that even if we provide greater levels of home care and the housing corp. does provide some programs to help modify homes, unfortunately, some individuals will have to go to different living situations like independent living units.
The Housing Corporation is building five independent living units throughout the Northwest Territories. We just recently attended the opening of one in Fort Liard. One of the nice things that has happened as a result of our relationship with the Housing Corporation is in those independent living units they've allowed for some programming space, for group activities and for other things to happen, and it's also an opportunity for Health and Social Services to have the home support workers come in to those facilities and do some interaction and supports for the residents who happen to live in those buildings.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister if there will be financial resources available in 2017-18 for enhanced homecare services or if it is part of the continuing care services? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we won't have a clear indication of whether or not we need some additional resources, how much those additional resources might be until we're actually done the Continuing Care Action Plan. I'm certainly going to bring that to committee so we can have some discussions.
Before we ask for more money, Mr. Speaker, one of the things that we have to do is make sure that the current dollars available for homecare are being spent wisely and that we're getting maximum benefit for every dollar that we're spending; that we're getting the outcomes that are intended.
The Members know, all Members in this House know that we do have some limiting fiscal situation on top of us, and any money that we're going to spend on homecare has to come from somewhere. So we're going to have to work together as a legislature to identify where resources are in order to re-profile them.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
