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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1987-04-29, Page 11Pilot project be The year 1086 was an eventful one for Town. and Country Homemakers, Those at- tending the ninth annual dinner meeting held in the Goderieh Townshiphall heard board chairman Laurette Siegner and ex - fully funded by the Provinetal governrnent, subsudization is required, *those not eligi- ble for IHP or other government programs, In 1986 CommSoe.paid 00 percent of these costs, leaving the remainder to be obtained ecutive director Jean Young' review the through private clients,: i'undreising•-end- challenges and constraints faced by the grants. :. agency since Huron County was chosen by. The growth . of business points up the the ministry of community and social ser- critical need for a computer. estimated to vices (CommSoc) as one of six places to try cost $72,000 for hardware and software, out the New Integrated Homemakers•Pro- Siegner said. •gram for the Frail and Elderly and the The executive director expanded on the Physically Handicapped (IHP) chairman's remarks, Jean Young said. the The IHP program has been designed to implementation of the IHP program had !low the elderly- and-the-disabled-to•remainnecessitated the reerui ing and trainip in their • own homes. Through a variety of additional staff, at the same time as .the home and community support systems and . Workers' Compensation • and minimum expansion of the homemakers' service, the wage rate increases and withdrawal of family's capacity to care for its members is', federal support for training combined to sustained or expanded, . ' create a crisis for the Homemaking The caring and competent personnel of industry. ' Town and Country Homemakers provide en- Guest speaker Tim Young, the ministry's couragement and emotionai,support to their Manager of the Elderly Services Branch of clients, as. well as help with such tasks as 'Community and Homemaker .. Programs, meal planning and preparation, shopping, commended Town and., C.,o un t r y cleaning, laundry, ironing, eating, dressing Homemakers, for successfully coping with • and personal care.' • the challenge, He said Town and Country Siegner. had predicted at the 1986 annual Homemakers, as'a .member of the Ontario meeting last April that, removal of the means test to qualify for the IHP could result in a 50 percent increase of the homemakers' service by seniors. The Ex- eter woman Listed some startling statistics that proved her prescience, HOURS OF' SERVICE - In January 1986 the agency's 75 homemakers were responsible for about 5,000 hours of service to over 200 clients a week. The IHP was introduced in Huron five months later. By January 1987 the monthly hours had climbed to 11,000, and Town and Country Homemakers were servicing an average of 500 clients a week with a staff that ur d ubled to•150. Associates and the Ontario Munici al Social Four additional case workers hired initial- P ly on a part-time basis became full-time • Services Association. employees, Jeanne Gladding is case Jim Young said the committee did what is manager. for Exeter and area, Evelyn Pep-- expected of any government committee - it per looks after the Seaforth/Clinton area, divided into three subgroups, and Jean Estelle Wise is responsible for,Goderich and Young is a member of two. Issues to be ex - area and Wingham and area is the jurisdic mined are the rate setting process, the rate tion of A1eta Bray. structure, low wages paid to homemakers, The 1987 budget is over a million, double and training programs• and resources. the previous year. Siegner said the agency Jim Young said that although Huron still needs -to raise funds. Though the•IHP is • County is in good shape, the non-profit homecare system in other parte of Ontario is facing deterioration and collapse. This vitally needed support service le jeopardiz- ed by a convulated rate -setting structure whereby those paying the' biggest share sometimes have the least say. Upattractive wages mean difficulty in recruiting the. trustworthy, hardworking people who are the backbone of the system, Cost factors such as travel and wages are given insuffi-. tient recognition in negotiations between the buyer and the provider. of services when rates are being set.. When government only allows an increase g of of four percent on an already insufficient wage, agencies •• Iike Town and Count Homemakers have difficulty advancing the overall attractiveness of being ' a homemaker, Young sympathized.- He agreed with his namesake that the withdrawal of federal funds for training at a tithe of .increased demand for trained homemakers was most unfortunate. '" ' `Sulo Life Atarance' C7i:O�► dt Can.do LIFE QRGAGE INSURANCE PLANE.FPfEDANNUITIES,,OE TAX PEDUCTI$LE,XILE NO LOAF A,p,$,F, NON-SMOKEfis RATES AVAILABIrE Rep. ARNOLD STINNISSEN•. 117 Go ierich Bt. East, Seatorth T01427-040 Association of `"Visiting. Homemakers, played a major role in bringing the situation to: the attention of the provincial govern- ment. He credited the effective lobbying ef- forts of the OAVH (with Jean Young as cur- rent president) for the formation by Com- mSoc of an interministerial committee on visiting homemaker services to thoroughly study homemaking throughout the province. - The ministries of health, skills develop- ment, colleges and universities and senior citizens' will be involved, as will the OAVH, the Ontario division of the Red Cross, the, Ontario Association of Home. Care QUANTITY AND QUALITY Young spoke of government plans to ex- pand both quantity and quality of services directed at "one-stop shopping" to keep peo- ple in their own homes and out of institutions for as long as possible. The Huron IHP is one of 16 now operating in Ontario, . with an ultimate 38 scheduled. Young hopes the 10 -year time frame can be whittled down. The estimated cost will be $60,000.00 per year. Young said the, Huron program is one of a number where the "one-stop" concept is be- ing explored and evaluated to determine the most feasible working model. The draft recommendations from the in-- terministerial committee are expected this summer. Young concluded by saying he honours and respects the work of Town and Country Homemakers, "who educate people like me to the real issues". Agriculture minister Jack Riddell, board' chairman Laurette Siegner, first vice- chairman Bruce McDonald and his wife Maggie, executive director Jean Young and her husband Jim and secretary Jane LeVan were among the head table guests. The quilt draw- was won by Larry Johnston, RR 2 Clinton and Clara "Harris,, Exeter, won dinner for four at Robindales. • • /117 /llh!FN 482 7103 PECK APPLIANCES "IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN VARNA" Johne ELLIGSEN ELECTRIC r' Ltd. Farm • Residential • Commercial __POLE LINE CONSTRUCTION. R.R. 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