Dexter outlines NDP plan for seniors’ care

By Heather Killen

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

Darrell Dexter is hoping to sell his seniors health care plan in time for the next provincial budget.

The NDP leader met with Middleton seniors last week to discuss his party’s seniors care plan. The plan provides self-managed care allowances and other programs to help seniors stay healthy and in their own homes longer.

The NDP released the senior’s care plan on February 18, as part of the ongoing Wait Times campaign, aimed at assisting the approximately 1,400 seniors who are waiting for placement in a nursing home.

Dexter told the local group that the NDP strategy is a simple, cost effective plan that aims to make the biggest impact for the least amount of money. If the plan is included in the upcoming budget, it could be implemented as early as the fall.

“It would cost $6 million in this budget, $12 million for the full year, this is a fraction of the $3 billion health care package,” he said.

The plan includes an assistance program to provide intensive health care for fragile seniors who are at risk; care allowances for seniors to pay family or professional caregivers; and assisted living allowances to help seniors move into specialized apartments or homes. These programs targeted at seniors have proven effective in other provinces, but do not currently exist in Nova Scotia.

“This plan uses sensible, practical and achievable ways to better assist seniors and their families while bringing badly needed relief to the health care system and helping reduce ER and surgical wait times,” said Dexter.

Dexter criticized the government for not taking action sooner to address the shortage of services for seniors, saying that the action is at least 10 years too late.

“Predicting the number of seniors we have now should have come as no surprise, this is not rocket science,” he said. “There are 1,400 seniors waiting for placement in nursing homes in Nova Scotia, that’s up 50 per cent from last year. The situation for seniors is clearly worse today than when the Conservatives were elected in 1999.”

The NDP Seniors Care Plan is focused on supporting seniors and their family caregivers in the community; thus opening more hospital beds, reducing wait times for acute and long-term care. The NDP plan is detailed in a paper entitled ‘Urgent Need, Creative Solutions: Bringing Relief to Seniors and Their Families.’

“This plan uses sensible, practical and achievable ways to better assist seniors and their families while bringing badly needed relief to the health care system and helping reduce wait times in emergency rooms and for surgery,” says Dexter. “The right combination of programs and supports can help Nova Scotia seniors stay healthier and safer in their own homes for longer, and reduce the number of seniors forced to wait in hospital for a nursing home bed.”

Dexter plans to visit most regions of the province in the next several weeks to meet with seniors and discuss the care plan entitled “Urgent Need, Creative Solutions.” The plan is part of an ongoing campaign for shorter wait times in hospitals.

While he was in Middleton, members of the Nursing Home committee updated Dexter regarding the status of the new nursing home that is scheduled to open here next year. Dexter commended the work done by the local committee members to rally for the 50-bed facility.

“It was among the best organized and most informed proposals,” he said. “Your bulldog approach really paid off, it was obvious there was no way you were backing down.”

The NDP plan is available on the Caucus website at www.ndpcaucus.ns.ca www.ndpcaucus.ns.ca