A LESSON IN NURSING HOMES

Published 31 October 2007, The Daily Gleaner, Fredericton

The Coalition for Nursing Home Residents' Rights continues to advocate for change to improve the lives of families and residents living in nursing and special care homes and using home care.
The process of deciding to place a loved one in one of these facilities is sometimes a painful one.
There are 61 nursing homes in the province with 4,100 beds and 415 special-care homes with 5,000 beds, all licenced and government controlled.
Daily fees for nursing home are $70 for Level 3 to 4 care. Special care home costs $74 a day for Level 1 to 2 care. This daily cost covers room and board services that amount to $2,129 a month for nursing home service and about $2,220 a month for special care home.
All nursing home residents are entitled to medications approved under the New Brunswick prescription drug program at no cost. Subsidized residents are entitled to eye glasses, hearing aid and other specific health supplies and are eligible to access the HST rebate.
Residents in receipt of provincial assistance receive a personal comfort allowance of $108 a month, $135 in special-care homes. Home-care hours have increased to 215 hours a month. Nursing homes hours have increased to three a day.
These documents concerning income must be provided when applying for financial assistance, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, income earned on investments and rental income from all properties, Guaranteed Income Supplement and other pension plans.
Veterans' disability pensions including additional sums paid to the disabled pensioner on behalf of the spouse/common-law partner are not included in the calculation unless it's the veteran in the nursing home or special-care home.
As we continue to advocate for change, we look forward to the release of the renewed strategy for long-term care for seniors in this province.
Cecile Cassista
Executive director
Coalition for Nursing Home Residents' Rights
Riverview, N.B.