The Manitoba Home Care Program, established in September 1974, is the oldest, most comprehensive, province-wide, universal home care program in Canada. Home Care is provided to Manitoba's of all ages based on assessed need and taking into account other resources available to the individual, including families, community resources and other programs. The Home Care program was established to help people live at home and remain independent for as long as possible, thereby avoiding or delaying the need for individuals to go into long term care facilities.
The mandate of the program is to provide effective, reliable and responsive community health care services to support independent living, develop appropriate care options with clients and/or family, and facilitate admission into long term care facilities when living in the community is no longer possible.
Are you or someone you know having difficulties with personal care and maintaining day-to-day activities at home? Are you a caregiver having difficulties supporting and caring for your loved one at home?
You may be eligible for service from the Regional Health Authority Home Care program.
Some of home care services may include:
- Personal Care Assistance (bathing, dressing, toileting)
- Home Support (meal preparation, light housing keeping and laundry)
- Health Professional Services (example nursing)
- Assistance with taking Medications
- Respite Care
- Other Specialty Services and Clinics
To access home care in Winnipeg you must contact the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority through their intake line at 204-788-8330. The person you speak with through the Intake Line will identify what will occur next and provide you with further guidance. Whether it be home care, supportive housing or a personal care home, you must start here for guidance. For more information on Winnipeg Home Care, visit here.
Further websites are www.wrha.mb.ca/community/homecare and www.gov.mb.ca/health/homecare/
To access home care in rural Manitoba, you must contact the regional health authority (RHA) for the area you live in. For RHA contact information, visit here. Or you can see their information with phone numbers here If you are unsure of which RHA governs your area, have a look at our provincial map here.
In some instances, Home Care may be used in combination with the options listed below:
Another option is Self and Family Managed Care. For more information on this, click here.
For frequently asked questions about the Manitoba Home Care Program, click here.
Transitional Care Environment
A Transitional care environment will make a difference and will benefit patients who have completed the acute care portion of a hospital stay but who need some transitional support before returning home. Separating transitional care from an acute care environment improves the quality of care. Clients using transitional care will be medically stable and ready to be discharged from hospital, but still need time to make long-term arrangements for their care. Following a short term, 30-90 day, transitional care stay, clients may be able to return home with home care supports, be eligible for a supportive housing environment or, it may be determined that a personal care home is the best option. In the transitional care environment, the care team can assess and determine the level of care and support necessary for each client.
A home-like setting improves confidence, independence and, most importantly, health outcomes. By offering an environment better suited to each client’s care needs, it promotes function and quality of life resulting in improved probability of returning to the community.
Transitional care will eventually be offered out of community hospitals once the WRHA’s Healing our Health System consolidation plan is fully implemented. In the interim, this transitional care environment will provide additional capacity to establish and implement an enhanced home care system – called Priority Home – which will help many clients return straight home with robust home care supports.
Priority Home
The new service will provide intensive home care to clients. Programming will be provided to clients for up to 90 days, after which it's anticipated that most clients will be able to remain in their homes with regular, ongoing home care, and not require immediate paneling for a personal care home.
Being able to recover at home, among familiar surroundings and comforts, can have a profound effect on recovery and also reduce the potential for injury. It is a much healthier option for those clients who don't need to be in hospital. This intensive service will also help reduce the length of time clients spend in hospital, and may help some avoid placement in a personal care home altogether.
Private Care
There are also private agencies who offer home care and other special services. For LTCAM members who offer some of these services, click here.
Please see the document below for a list of questions to ask.