Home care services in Winnipeg to start phased restoration this week: WRHA

Patients who cancelled their service and got support from family during the COVID-19 pandemic will be the priority as home care services are restored this week, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority says.

Last spring, shortly after COVID-19 came to Manitoba, the WRHAhad spoken with many patients and families, and those talks resulted in some patients voluntarily cancelling their service during the first wave of the pandemic,a spokesperson told CBC News.

Starting today, the WRHA is calling those patients and their families to establish a new routine and schedule for care "as quickly as we can," the spokesperson added.

"We are grateful and humbled by the resilience our clients and their support systems have demonstrated this past number of months," Jennifer Spencer, acting director of palliative and home care services for the WRHA, said in a news release Monday.

"This has been a challenging time for allWinnipeggers and we are happy to have had the support of families and friends of our clients during this time to provide much needed support effectively combatting isolation whilesimultaneously providing for their health needs."

Home care restoration will be done in phases, the WRHA said in the release.

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The first phase will include people who need regular help to ensure theirbasic health needs are met, either on a daily or weekly basis, said a WRHA spokesperson.

This willinclude patientswhose family members help with their daily medication and getting in and out of bed, they said, as well as people who needhelp putting on or taking off compression stockings, dressing in generalor preparing meals.

"Not all clients will immediately be able to resume home care services based on personal health risks or preference," the health authority said in Monday's news release.

Roughly 500of Winnipeg's 15,600 home care patients who are eligible for the first phase had cancelled service last spring, the spokesperson said.

Nursing services are almost backtonormal.

Additional precautions will stay in place to protect both patients and staff during home visits, and clients will continue to be screened for COVID-19 before each home visit, the WRHA said.

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"We want to assure our clients and families that we will continue to take precautions to keep themand our staff safe as we gradually increase the number of home visits we offer," Spencer said in the news release.

"It is imperative that our resumption of services continue in a safeand cautious manner as we continue to follow evolving direction from Shared Health andpublic healthofficials."

Patients who need help around the home more than health serviceswill also see a gradual return ofhomecare services, oncehome care patients "with significant health needs and/or where backup supports are not sustainable" have their needsmet.

Future phases of the home care restorationplan could impact another4,200 patients, the spokesperson said.

Other health regions in Manitoba are working toward similar plans for home care now too, saidLanette Siragusa, Manitoba Shared Health chief nursing officer, during Monday's COVID-19 briefing.