Are you or a loved one no longer able to live at home because of the need for nursing care and the support of a care provider around-the-clock?
If you do, a Nursing Home may be a place you can live where nursing care is available any time of the day. Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses are there to support your health needs. Other care providers, such as Dietitians may be available to help as well.
Nursing Homes have trained staff available on site 24 hours a day to provide you with the one-on-one help you need for your supervision and personal care needs. Meals, medications and housekeeping services are provided by the Nursing Home. They also provide access to rehabilitative care, social and recreational programming.
Social Development is responsible for licensing and inspecting the homes annually. The inspection reports for Nursing Homes are posted online and can be viewed by clicking here.
Nursing Homes are required to follow:
- The Nursing Home Act
- Regulations under the Nursing Home Act
- Standards Manual for Nursing Home Services
- Management Directives for Nursing Home Services
Nursing Homes are specially designed to ensure your environment can meet your needs. For example:
- Sprinkler system
- Handrails in the corridors
- Grab bars in bathing and toileting areas
- Door security code to exit the building
Seniors aged 65 and older that do not need to be in a hospital, but need regular nursing care to manage their health with support from providers may benefit from living in a nursing home.
People who benefit from living in a Nursing Home meet the following criteria:
- You are eligible for services through the Long Term Care program
- Your health status is stable. This means you are currently not receiving care and treatments that could significantly improve your condition;
- You will need the service for a long period of time;
- You may need assistance or supervision with walking or using a wheelchair;
- You need the assistance from one or two care providers to carry out your daily activities safely such as getting dressed, bathing, grooming and managing medications;
- You may have responsive behaviours related to dementia such as agitation, wandering, repetitive actions or verbalization that requires specialized supervision and intervention; and
- You may require regular nursing care which is provided by a Registered Nurse or a Licensed Practical Nurse
In some situations, people under the age of 65 enrolled in the Disability Support Program may qualify. Talk to your Social Worker to learn more.
You will need to apply through the Long Term Care program at Social Development. A Social Worker will help you find out if your personal goals and care needs can be safely met in a Nursing Home or if other services that are available through this program can meet your needs.
The Long Term Care Program is for seniors, 65 years of age or older. To learn how you may qualify and apply to the Long Term Care Program, click here.
Eligible clients may receive financial help to go towards the cost of living in a Nursing Home. The most you will have to pay to live in a nursing home is $113 per day. A monthly allowance of $108 per month provides residents the ability to purchase personal items such as clothes, shoes, etc.
Once you qualify for Nursing Home services through the Long Term Care Program, these are some of the steps that will help you move into a facility:
You will need to have a physician or a nurse practitioner complete the Physical Examination and History form. Your Social Worker will provide this form to you.
You must select two nursing homes as your preferred nursing homes for placement. These two selections are treated as equal preferences. For a complete list of Nursing Homes, click here, or visit the New Brunswick Nursing Home Association website.
It is recommended, if possible, that you visit the homes to help with your decision. Some questions to ask might be:
- What type or social and recreational programming is available?
- Do you provide transportation to and from medical appointments? What is the cost?
- Are there any additional fees? (For example, cable, phone, internet, etc.)
- Will I have to share a bedroom?
- What personal belongings can I bring with me? (For example, chair, dresser, décor, etc.)
Once you have decided on what Nursing Homes you prefer to live in, you need to let your Social Worker and those Nursing Homes know your decision. Your name and your choices of Nursing Homes will be added to the Nursing Home Waiting List that Social Development manages and shares.
If there’s no vacancy in the nursing homes you prefer, you may be offered an interim placement. An interim placement is a non-preferred placement which is 100kms or less from your residence and offers services in your official language of choice. When you accept an offer of interim placement your name will remain registered on the waitlists of the nursing homes you selected. When a bed is available you will be offered the choice to transfer to a preferred home or you may choose to remain a resident of the nursing home you currently reside in.
When a bed becomes available, the Nursing Home will call the people from the Nursing Home Wait List (following chronological order) to offer you placement.
If you decline a bed offer at either a preferred or interim placement, your name will be placed at the bottom of all waitlists (if you reside in the community). If you are awaiting placement in hospital and have been medically discharged, you will retain your place on the waitlist. If you are in the hospital awaiting placement, be sure to ask about hospital policies. The hospital may start to charge you for your room if you refuse a vacancy.
If you are going to move into a Nursing Home, you will need to have a Physical Examination and History form completed by a physician or a nurse practitioner. Physician or nurse practitioner offices can charge a fee to complete the form.
For more information about going to a nursing home please refer to the Going to a Nursing Home booklet available through the Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick.