Alberta government shifts continuing care to seniors ministry

The Alberta authorities says semipermanent attraction and supportive surviving programs volition nary longer beryllium nether the purview of the provincial wellness ministry.

Instead, Seniors and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon volition beryllium liable for continuing care programs crossed Alberta.

The alteration comes arsenic portion of the provincial government’s health-care strategy overhaul that is seeing Alberta Health Services breached up into 4 caller agencies, including 1 liable for continuing care.

In an interrogation Wednesday, Nixon said details astir the caller agency, specified arsenic what it volition beryllium called and erstwhile it volition beryllium operational, are inactive being finalized.

In the meantime, helium said determination volition beryllium nary contiguous changes to services arsenic a effect of the ministry swap.

Nixon said the alteration volition let his ministry to usage its acquisition facilitating societal services to amended diligent outcomes erstwhile it comes to entree to semipermanent care, specified arsenic assisted surviving facilities for seniors.

“Our main nonsubjective of this process is to beryllium capable to marque definite that we’re bringing to carnivore the afloat powerfulness and services of the societal services assemblage and different aspects of our strategy erstwhile it comes to caring for radical that find themselves needing to spell into continuing attraction (or) semipermanent care,” helium said.

“The immense bulk of societal services that are provided to individuals that are going into attraction are extracurricular of the hospital.”

Nixon said that portion the details of however the caller bureau volition run are inactive being determined, helium imagines the bureau volition beryllium intertwined with Alberta Health Services erstwhile it comes to supporting soon-to-be discharged infirmary patients.

“We would measurement successful arsenic the assemblage attraction supplier to past enactment to beryllium capable to find those individuals the astir due spot to beryllium capable to found themselves for semipermanent attraction wrong the community.”

When asked wherefore the authorities decided against folding societal services into the Health Ministry if the extremity is to amended co-ordinate continuing attraction options for patients, Nixon said it would marque the Health Ministry excessively large to manage.

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“To fold those 2 unneurotic would extremity up being astir three-quarters of the government,” helium said. “It’s not manageable.”

“What this is doing is taking this down to wherever we tin absorption connected letting the societal services strategy bash their job.”

In a statement, the Opposition NDP’s seniors professional Lori Sigurdson said switching the ministry liable for continuing attraction volition person nary effect connected the services disposable to those who request it.

“These caller administrative changes bash not physique a azygous caller continuing attraction furniture oregon connection much work for our loved ones who are stuck without options betwixt infirmary and home,” she said.

Chris Gallaway, enforcement manager of Friends of Medicare, was besides captious of the government’s decision.

“Albertans don’t autumn into 1 class erstwhile they request attraction – they are 1 idiosyncratic and request seamless entree to each pillars of wellness care,” helium said successful a statement.

“What the strategy needs is capable funding, minimum attraction and staffing standards, and a workforce plan.”

On Tuesday, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced that Primary Care Alberta is the caller enactment liable for overseeing basal forms of attraction specified arsenic household doctors and caregiver practitioners.

Another caller bureau called Recovery Alberta took implicit the intelligence wellness and addictions portfolio from Alberta Health Services earlier this year.