Are you aware of the options?

Dear Editor

It is possible for Health Care to use common sense & be practical?

Perhaps, they should ask the seniors who founded this province about being ‘practical and using some good old-fashioned horse sense,’ they would soon set things right!

Currently information from other health care zone’s show that government funded Level 3 Assisted Living (24-hour staff on site) operators receives about $75 per person for just the care portion. This would equal $2,250 per month. Compare this to a local Level 3 Assisted Living; non-funded Care Home which is providing the same level of care (24-hour staff on site) for about $36 per person for the care portion which would equal $1,100 per month.  

A Program called Self Managed Care is available to assist with the ‘care portion’ costs. This program is funded and regulated by Alberta’s Ministry of Health and is administered by the Regional Health Authorities and it is available to individuals of any age who are eligible for home care.

Understand that Home Care cannot provide “placement” to a non-funded non Alberta Health Service approved site, but it could be shared as an option that is licensed as a Supportive Living Operator by Alberta Seniors and Community Supports. 

This flows into the vision of the Alberta Government of providing choice for seniors, regardless of whether or not the site is private, voluntary or public sector.

Using your common sense, which would you say would be the most practical choice of service provider? Are you being informed of the options available to you???

D. Wakelam
Strathmore