A virtual information session this July will show Selkirk-area residents a different path to home care, one where they can choose and hire their own caregivers instead of waiting for agency visits that are often hard to get.
The Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority (IERHA) is promoting the event to explain Self and Family Managed Care, a provincial program that gives funding directly to qualifying families or individuals so they can become employers of their own home care workers.
The push comes as the region has faced a 17 per cent vacancy rate for health-care aides, the workers who deliver most home care services, according to Kate Hodgson, IERHA’s regional lead for health services in the community and continuing care. That shortage has left some families with cancelled visits and limited help, particularly in a city where nearly one-quarter of residents are 65 or older.
With Self and Family Managed Care, clients who have been assessed for home care needs can take charge of their own care. Instead of relying only on workers sent by the health authority, they can use the funding to hire someone they know and trust, including a family member. The program has been growing across Manitoba — as of October 2023, about 1,500 people were registered province-wide, and IERHA says that number has kept climbing.
The information session is being held in partnership with Care Possible, a Manitoba non-profit that helps self-managed care clients find verified independent caregivers and handles administrative tasks like payroll, scheduling, and invoicing. The session will walk families through how the program works and how Care Possible can support them.
For Selkirk residents who have struggled with the traditional system, the choice can be life-changing. Some families in the Interlake-Eastern region have already made the switch after finding agency visits unreliable, and the health authority is now actively encouraging more people to learn about the option.
The virtual session is open to anyone in the Selkirk area interested in an alternative to standard home care. Residents can find details and register through the IERHA website.
