Publicly Funded Home Healthcare

Health regions of Canada

Health regions of Canada are used to administer public health Canadians.

Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Nova Scotia
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Ontario
- Community Access Care Centre (CCAC)
Prince Edward Island
Saskatchewan
Quebec
Yukon Territory

Alberta

Alberta Health Services- a "superboard" created on May 16, to replace the following nine former health regions:

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador

Nova Scotia

Zone 1
- South Shore Health
- South West Health
Zone 2
- Annapolis Valley Health
Zone 3
- Colchester East Hants Health Authority
- Cumberland Health Authority
Zone 4
- Pictou County Health Authority
- Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority
Zone 5
- Cape Breton District Health Authority
Zone 6
- Capital Health

Northwest Territories

Nunavut

Nunavut Health Region

Ontario

Community Care Access Centres

Prince Edward Island

Saskatchewan

Quebec

Yukon Territory

Helpful Facts About Community Care Access Centres

Your local health authority should be the first place you call for information to help you manage your health care needs in the community. Here are some reasons why:

Health authorities serve people of all ages and cultures in the community
They provide one-stop access to health and personal support services to help people live independently in their homes.
When living independently is no longer possible, CCACs coordinate all admissions to long-term care homes comprised of nursing homes, and supportive housing
Anyone can call a health authority for information, to make a referral, or to get information about services available in the community
Many have people on staff who are fluent in in many languages besides English, such as French, Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Chinese and Tamil
Health Authorities plan, coordinate and ensure the delivery of a full range of in-home services to support clients and their caregivers. These health services may include nursing, personal support, various types of therapies and nutritional counseling
They also help you arrange short-terms stays in Long-Term Care Homes for convalescence or to allow relief for caregivers
Health Authorities coordinate all access to health support services in schools for children with special needs

When you call or are referred to your local health authority, a care coordinator/case manager will contact you to arrange for an assessment of your needs and your eligibility for services. There are no costs for eligible clients. If you are not eligible to receive their services, or if these services do not meet all your needs, your local health authority will help you link to alternative services available in the community. These services can include food delivery, adult day programs and in-home assistance like shopping and cleaning. In some cases a user fee may be charged for services provided by community agencies.

When it's time to move

This is a true story. The names are changed to protect their privacy.

It's not always obvious when it's time to move into a nursing home or home for the aged. It's an especially difficult decision for couples if one has to move and the other stays at home.

Such was the situation for Phillip and Sally Chambers, but with the support of a lot of people, including their family doctor, they made the decision, and the move for Sally has turned out well.

Sally Chambers became a client of the Access Centre three years ago as her mental and physical health deteriorated. Philip had never heard of the Community Care Access Centre until his doctor told him about it. He remembers that the Access Centre ordered a wheelchair and various bed and bathroom aids that were "godsends." Sally couldn't be left alone, and Philip had to be with her all the time.

Last year, Philip had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. What would happen to Sally? A call was made to the Access Centre. The case manager did an urgent home visit and arranged for personal support workers to look after Sally right away. She then started the process for admitting Sally to a short-stay bed in a long-term care home until the Chambers could decide what to do next. The doctor helped speed the process along by completing the requisite medical form quickly, and Sally moved temporarily to the Trillium Centre.

When Philip came out of hospital, now very much weaker, he consulted several people, including staff at the Access Centre and Providence Continuing Care Centre, Mental Health Services Site, where Sally had been previously assessed. He also consulted the doctor several times. "She said that if I didn't look after my health, there'd be two down and then who would Sally have?"

And so the decision was made. Sally would make the permanent move to a nursing home. Again, the Access Centre began making arrangements. Fortunately, a bed became available at Trillium, and Sally moved down the hall. "It was the answer to our prayers," says Philip, who is very satisfied today with the arrangements.

The doctor gives the Access Centre staff specific credit for the positive outcome of this crisis. "It's not a one-person job, by any means. It has to be a team approach, as it was here, but the Health Authorities staff has to deal with crises all the time. And they do seem to be able to do that, thank heavens."