Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of health. What health care services are currently available to seniors in their home in the NWT? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, home care provides -- in all of our communities, we have home support workers and they provide bathing and making meals, nursing services for wound care and health checks, help with organization, and taking medication. In some communities, they provide palliative care for those who are dying and want to be close to home and family members. They loan out equipment, such as bathroom equipment and walkers. They do provide respite care to help out in the home so caregivers can get a break. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. And thank you to the Minister for that. What is the GNWT doing to ensure elders can age safely and independently in their homes? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, all of our home -- all of our communities have home support workers and in in the larger centres, we have home care nurses. In the smaller centres -- smaller communities that have nurses, they have a task as part of one of their duties is to do the home care assessments for seniors at home. And like I mentioned in all of the other, they're the ones that do the assessments as to what that elder needs in their home and then they assign those duties to the person -- or the home care worker in that community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Will the department or GNWT establish a policy to allow for in-home care during emergencies? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this has come up many times in the House, and NTHSSA's policy was put in place to protect the health and safety of all staff. Under the Northwest Territories Safety Act, the employer is required to take all responsible measures to ensure the health and safety of their employees. And nurses in the health centre may do home care and home care assessments during the day that are scheduled, but they are not first responders, Mr. Speaker. They're not the ones that run out to the emergencies. They are trained to do services within their health centre with the tools that they have. So unfortunately what we see in the smaller communities, and my colleague and I from MACA who is responsible for first responders, we have had our first initial discussion on what -- you know, what can we do and what can we do to work together to look at some options for communities that don't have services like that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from the Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for that, that information from the Minister. I think that we can look at setting a time for meetings. We can have a discussion about how we can make that work for our communities. So I'm asking the Minister if she could commit to setting up a meeting so we can have a discussion to make that thing happen for our community. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And you know, Mr. Speaker, I would be glad -- and I know the Member, you know, has previously invited me to visit her communities that she is the MLA for and those discussions that we can have during that time. But just to be clear, the discussion is at a high level right now. Like, MACA does have money for first responders. I can't speak to the details of that. I have enough under my own portfolio, but I know health and social services does not -- like, the nurses in the health centre are not first responders. So we're trying to work together to try to see what can we do together to try and -- so MACA and health and social services can work together to try and come up with some solutions or some options. But I'm willing to sit down with -- you know, with the Member and discuss what, you know, and within her communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
