In the hope of stemming the closures of seniors’ residences (RPA), Quebec is giving some breathing space to those who have care units.
The Minister responsible for Seniors, Sonia Bélanger, announced Tuesday that a sum of $200 million over five years would be granted to small residences of 30 units or less to deploy what is called a personalized allocation to those which offer services to residents who are not completely independent.
This new measure, implemented in collaboration with the Regroupement québécois des residences pour seniors (RQRA) and the Réseau québécois des organizations non-profit d’habitation (RQOH), will allow RPAs who offer services, such as giving a bath or administering medication, to receive a fixed monthly allowance, based on the needs of residents.
The allowance, which will be calculated based on an hourly rate, will eventually be available for more than 650 RPAs, many of whom have seen their financial situation weakened in the current economic context.
Reduced contribution of seniors?
The gradual deployment of the program, which will be entrusted to the CISSS and CIUSSS, could possibly result in a reduction in the financial contribution of residents, with the government finding itself paying for part of the services that meet their needs.
This implementation follows a pilot project carried out in the RPAs of five regions which made it possible to define the program standards.
Minister Bélanger said she wanted to “avoid closures, which are very destabilizing for seniors”. She maintains that this measure “will prevent many seniors from moving, uprooting them from their living environment and very often from their community and will reduce their financial burden.”
A positive reception
For his part, the president and general manager of the RQRA, Marc Fortin, was delighted with the fact that this measure also provided for the possibility, for RPA professionals, of carrying out service needs assessments, “thus avoiding delays and the complexity of regional executions.
He recalled that over the last decade, “a series of regulatory obligations, an explosion of costs and galloping inflation, a labor shortage, all combined with the pandemic and a significant increase in interest rates forced the closure of more than 1,000 RPAs.
André Castonguay, director of the Réseau québécois des OSBL d’habitation, also applauds Quebec’s decision, which he described as “a good first step which, we can only hope, will be extended to all community RPAs which provide services and to all their residents.”
For the moment, the first phase targets RPAs with 30 dwellings or less in categories 3 and 4. Category 3 RPAs are those whose service offering includes at least one personal assistance or nursing care service. Those in category 4 offer services intended for elderly people with moderate to severe loss of functional, physical or cognitive autonomy.