The Benefits Of Self & Family Managed Care

Home care services in Winnipeg are typically managed by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), but there is an alternative: Self and Family Managed Care.

With the Self and Family Managed Care programs, individuals who need home care and their family members receive funding from the WRHA through Manitoba Health. They can use that funding to hire staff for home care, including professional agencies like Right at Home.

Key Takeaways

• Self Managed Care and Family Managed Care give individuals who need home care and their family members more flexibility in selecting the staff for their home care needs, as well as when those needs will be scheduled.
• Self Managed Care is available to individuals who want to make their own decisions about their home care services.
• Family Managed Care enables family members who can make decisions on behalf of the individual who needs home care to manage those home care services.
• To qualify for Family Managed Care or Self Managed Care, an individual must already qualify for home care services through Manitoba Health and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (or another applicable Regional Health Authority for those outside of Winnipeg).
• Funding will be provided by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA)—that funding can be used to purchase services and employ staff.

Self-Managed Care Benefits

Self Managed Care is a home care service offered by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA). This service is available to individuals who qualify for home care services but would like to manage their own home care, rather than have the WRHA manage home care for them.

The main benefits of Self Managed Care are twofold:

First, Self Managed Care allows an individual who needs home care to have a greater degree of control over scheduling. As many who have used home care services know, coordinating existing supports such as community members and family members with the non-professional services provided by the WRHA can be difficult. The WRHA effectively acts as a third party to coordinate services; this can create logistical barriers to scheduling. Self Managed Care reduces these barriers.

Second, Self Managed Care allows individuals to choose their home care staff. While individuals who need assistance with activities of daily living require service to perform any number of different tasks, home care professionals also offer companionship. With the Self Managed Care program, individuals can hire healthcare staff whose personalities and skills match their needs.

Self Managed Care enables clients of Manitoba Health’s home care services to get access to customized personal care as a part of their overall home care services. Being able to decide who provides your personal care services—and when—gives you a great degree of control over what your home care looks like.

Family-Managed Care Benefits

The Family Managed Care program is similar to the Self Managed Care program, but a family member manages the home care for their family member. This Family Managed Care program gives families the opportunity to find home care services that meet their family member’s needs.

In both the Self Managed and Family Managed Care programs, the WRHA finances home care services, but must approve which home care services are provided and budgeted for. This process is complicated, and it can be difficult for some individuals who need home care to manage on their own. The Family Managed Care program alleviates some of the stress that would be placed on the individual receiving home care, while still allowing them to rely on family members to coordinate between personal care staff, community resources, and others.

How Eligibility Is Determined

Whether you’re aiming to become a self or family manager of a home care program, there are a few eligibility requirements to keep in mind:

• You must be a Manitoba resident registered with Manitoba Health.
• You or your family member must be eligible for home care, and need assistance with activities of daily living or require health services.
• You or a family member must need service to remain in your home safely.
• You or a family member must require more assistance than is available from existing supports and community resources.

Eligibility is determined by the WRHA.

Applying for Self and Family Managed Care

Applying for Self or Family Managed Care is a complex process—but the team at Right at Home can help you through the entire process. Here are the basic steps for applying to Self and Family Managed Care:

• Ask your existing home care Case Coordinator about the S/FMC or phone the Intake Line at (204) 788-8330 to apply.
• Complete the application form. You may ask Right at Home Winnipeg for help to fill out the application form.
• Your coordinator will assess how many hours of care you are eligible for.
• Open a separate bank account to manage the funds.
• Funding will be on its way and will be subject to a regular audit.
• Your RHA will continue to provide equipment and supplies (gloves, pads, etc.) and visits from Nurses and Community Therapy Services.

Right at Home offers a variety of home care services, including:

• Companion Care
• Nursing Care
• Personal Care
• Specialty Care

Ready to take home care services into your own hands? Contact Right at Home Winnipeg today—we’re here to help.

Why Right at Home?

• Over 20 years of experience. Right at Home has been providing award winning customized senior care and home care for over 20 years.
• YOUR Caregivers are all part of YOUR Care Team. This means that there is no revolving door of Personal Support Workers and Nurses. With the help of your Care Planner, you choose and get to know them. This leads to an level of care for your loved one that is unsurpassed in our industry.
• Working with government support. Your Care Planner will work to help you find the government supports you are eligible for (if you would like them) and then work to find a solution for the care needs that go above what government and family can do. We will also work around the government care plan so that we are enhancing it.

We help in home, wherever home is to you.

Our Caregivers are always out in the community visiting homes, Retirement Residences, Long Term Care (LTC), hospices and hospitals.