Caregiver Support and Well-Being Priority Project - Central East ...

Findings1. In order to keep a loved one in the home, often a caregiver needs some help to maintain the home.2. Instrumental Activities of Daily Living – IADL are not fully subsidized in the basket of services tosupport the caregiver.3. There are not enough subsidized resources (volunteer and paid) to assist caregivers with homemaintenance/housekeeping.4. Transportation services are not available in many areas of the CE LHIN, especially in rural areas.5. The quantity and type of supports differ within each community and this is especially evident in therural areas of the CE LHIN.6. Most formal programs offering daily living supports are geared to supporting the needs of the carereceiver.RecommendationsCE LHIN Recommendations:1. Review the types of services in the basket of services provided to caregivers to keep care receivers inthe home.2. Increase funding to community support agencies to provide more subsidized Instrumental Activities ofDaily Living (IADL) services to ensure equitable access across the CE LHIN.3. Review the supply and demand for community support services to ensure equitable access acrossthe CE LHIN.4. Investigate the feasibility of offering wrap around service funding that could help to support thosecaregivers who have IADL needs.During the worst years, I contemplated kicking my son out many times. It wasn't so much theconstant damage to house and furnishings; it was what it was doing to my daughter’s mentalhealth. When caregivers in other sectors can't cope, they would never contemplate kicking thecare recipients out. But that is a real and huge problem in the Mental Health and Addictionssector. The mental health sector talks a lot about the homelessness problem among peoplewho have had contact with the mental health system. But the conflict and family breakdownthat is the major contributing factor to the homelessness is hardly ever discussed. Caregiversof those with mental illness need a support system to help them understand how to cope. Iwas fortunate to receive information, education and support which were instrumental inreducing the conflict at home, and I believe also played a crucial role in my son’s recovery. xliv ADL – Instrumental Activities of Daily Living: the activities related to independent living performed by aperson who is living independently in a community setting during the course of a normal day. IADLactivities include, but are not limited to managing money, shopping, telephone use, and travel incommunity, housekeeping, minor home repairs, preparing meals, and taking medications correctly.Increasing inability to perform IADLs may result in the need for care facility placement 41IADL – Instrumental Activities of Daily Living: the activities related to independent living performed by a person who is livingindependently in a community setting during the course of a normal day. IADL activities include, but are not limited to managingmoney, shopping, telephone use, traveling in the community, housekeeping, minor home repairs, preparing meals, and takingmedications correctly. Increasing inability to perform IADLs may result in the need for care facility placement 4121