The board that operates Region of Queens Home Support in Liverpool has given notice that it will terminate its contract with the Nova Scotia government to provide home-care services. (Rick Conrad)

UPDATED 2:30 p.m. Tuesday

A non-profit group that delivers home-care services in Queens County has decided to terminate its contract with the provincial government partly because of a “substantial” deficit.

Region of Queens Home Support has been providing services like personal care, respite care and meal preparation for people in their homes for more than 40 years.

The Queens Home for Special Care Society operates the agency. The board gave six months’ notice recently to the province that it would no longer run it. That means a new provider needs to take over by January.

But Christopher Clarke, the society’s chairman, says its 174 clients in Queens and Lunenburg counties won’t see an interruption in service, and employees will keep their jobs.

“For the clients, it will mean they will continue to get service,” Clarke said Monday in an interview.

“We have a strong commitment from government that they will continue to get service. For the employees, they will be working for another employer, but they will be providing service to the same clients as we currently have.”

A Facebook post from someone who said they have worked with Queens Home Support for more than 20 years was widely shared on Monday. She said she is a continuing care assistant and that staff were told on July 4 that Queens Home Support would be closing.

“Let me be clear before I say what’s on my mind – to any clients or family with clients under Queens Home Support – the transition is supposed to be smooth without much upset to the (clients’) routines, themselves or their daily care,” the post said in part. “They will continue to receive care as usual.”

The post also claimed that Queens Home Support’s deficit is $1.5 million.

Clarke confirmed that the agency has run a deficit the past two years. But he said that it isn’t as high as $1.5 million.

“We have a deficit, yes. The number is incorrect, but we have a deficit. I’m not going to go into that. It’s substantial, so we have to work through that with government.”

He said the deficit is one of many reasons why the board decided to end its contract with the province. 

“There were a number of other problems too, but that’s the main issue that caused us to make the decision,” he said.

“I’m not prepared to go into them in any sort of detail.”

Much of the funding for Region of Queens Home Support comes from the province. Based on clients’ income and the kind of care they need, other costs may be paid by the client.

Clarke said the agency’s income dropped because their service hours decreased, but its expenses didn’t.

“We got compensated on the basis of service hours, those are hours that we actually service our clients. But there are a lot of overheads in addition to that, and those overheads don’t change even though your service hours diminish.”

Clarke emphasized that clients will continue to get care. And he said the approximately 60 employees will retain their jobs. 

“Government has assured us that they will continue to provide the services we provide under another agency. … And the employees will all be virtually employed by whatever the new agency is.”

Kim Silver, director of home and community care with the provincial Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care, said Monday that when an agency notifies the province it’s winding down, officials immediately start looking for options to ensure services are maintained.

“Obviously, it’s concerning for clients and staff. For clients, they should know that there will be no impact to their care. The acting administrator has been in there for a little while now. She knows the organization well and she’ll continue to operate that organization until there’s a solid plan in place where we can seamlessly transition clients. In terms of staff, the plan certainly includes considerations for staff. We want to make sure everyone is treated fairly.”

Annette Hartlen, the agency’s executive director, is on leave. Kerry Hobbs, executive director of Lunenburg Home Support, is the interim director in Queens.

“We have options thankfully,” Silver said. “We’ve got a number of agencies in the province. Typically, we would have conversations with ones that make sense to see if they would be interested in taking over geographies. … We’re looking at other agencies in the area to support the clients.”

Silver said various factors could contribute to a reduction in service hours.

“Agencies are funded based on the number of service hours that they deliver on an hourly basis. So if service hours are lower, the funds the agency’s paid are lower. It could be a drop in clients, it could be that some clients have different care needs that might take a different amount of time. It could be that there’s more travel time involved. There are a whole lot of factors that can play into it.”

As for Queens Home Support’s deficit, Silver said that will be worked out between the province and the organization.

“It’s really about the sustainability of the organization. It’s a deficit that’s built up over time and would continue to be added to if the agency kept going.”

Queens MLA Kim Masland posted to her Facebook page on Tuesday morning and said that she’s working to make sure there’s no interruption in service.

“I commit to updating the community frequently as plans become finalized,” she said. “I want to be very clear that government did not cut funding!”

Clarke said that cancelling the home-care agreement was a tough decision for the board to make.

“Obviously, it’s not a decision that the board made lightly and obviously none of us feel good about it, but it’s something we had to do.”

Silver said they should have more information for clients and staff in the next few weeks.

“We’re working with the board to put a plan in place, to make sure people continue to get care, and that employees are treated fairly. Our primary focus obviously is our commitment to client care, so we’re working on solutions to make sure that we can continue that and have a smooth transition.”

Most of the agency’s clients live in Queens County, but a few live in neighbouring Lunenburg County. Clarke said that’s left over from when the agency had too many employees for its Queens County clients, so it took on some from the county next door.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Announcement of Adult Day/Respite Care program at Queens County Home Support. Photo QCCR staff

Two months after it was announced, a program designed to provide desperately needed relief to caregivers has yet to launch.

On Feb 13 an event held by the Queens Home Care Society to celebrate the new Adult Day/Respite Care program was attended by Minister of Seniors and Long Term Care Barbara Adams, Kim Masland, the MLA for Queens/Minister of Public Works, Board Chair of Queens Home for Special Care Society Christopher Clarke and Albert Doucet Chair of Queens General Hospital Foundation.

The program was to begin two weeks later in a newly renovated location at 266 Main Street in Liverpool.

The province invested $500,000 in the program but two months on, the Region of Queens is being blamed for not issuing building permits.

Building owner Jerry Thibault says the trouble started when he began renovating the space in September of 2022.

“As soon as you get your framing up you call for a framing inspection, it’s the first inspection you do. So, I called them, and I said I need a framing inspection before I put my gyprock on and I was told I don’t have a building permit. I said yeah, I got it here in my hand and they said, well bring it up and will take a look. So, I took it up and they said no that’s not a building permit that’s a development permit which allows you to apply for a building permit,” said Thibault.

“So, it was my mistake at the start and I’m free to admit that but the fact that, you know I wasn’t trying to cheat them, I actually called for framing inspection.”

Thibault says the inspector told him to apply for a building permit right away, and he needed to confirm the fire separation requirements, but construction could continue in the meantime.

Thibault says the next time he heard from the inspector was February 10, three days before the planned launch event.

After some back and forth with the building inspector, Thibault agreed to provide the Region with designs guaranteed by an engineer.

He says the designs should be in the inspectors hand this week.

Executive Director of the Queens Home Care Society Annette Hartlen says the Adult Day/Respite Care program is desperately needed.

“[We] wanted to focus on people that don’t currently meet the criteria for the adult day program, the wonderful program that currently runs here in Queens County at the Manor. We definitely didn’t want to duplicate or step on their toes because they’re offering, you know, an awesome program there. So, we decided we would, yes, we’ll offer an adult day program we’ll offer a respite program, but we wanted to focus on high needs clients.”

Hartlen says while they wait to open the doors, the staff have been working on programming and are ready to welcome clients.

She is hopeful the occupancy permit issue can be resolved quickly.

A spokesperson for the Department of Seniors and Long-term care says despite the delay, the province is committed to funding the day program.

The Region of Queens was contacted but declined to provide comment for this story.

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Executive Director Annette Hartlen looks on as Queens Mayor Darlene Norman and MLA Kim Masland cut the ribbon to open the Caledonia home support office in September 2021. Photo Queens County Home Support

Continuing care assistants across Nova Scotia are getting a significant raise.

At Wednesday’s COVID briefing Premier Tim Houston announced the province will spend $65 million to increase the salaries of all publicly funded CCAs by 23 percent.

That will bring the top paid CCAs annual salary to $48,419, an annual increase of close to $9,000.

Houston hopes raising wages to near the highest levels in the country will entice people to return to the field.

“To those of you who have felt undervalued to the point that you left the profession, please come back. We need you now more than ever,” said Houston. “We want you; we need you; we value you and we respect you.”

Executive Director with Queens County Home Support Annette Hartlen says their organization has lost approximately 25 percent of their staff during the pandemic.

“Prior to the pandemic we had between 60 and 70. Unfortunately with the pandemic we’re down now to about 45 but we’re hoping of course with this increase, because staffing has been a huge challenge,” said Hartlen. “Like I say not only for us but for many other providers of home support services and in long term care, we’re hoping that this will entice more people into the profession.”

Hartlen says having fewer workers to cover the same number of clients puts a higher burden on the remaining CCAs and many people burn out.

“I worry about them because they’re working 40, 50 hours, [sometimes] 60 hours a week trying to get as many client visits in as they can, and many needs met. I admire them for what they are doing and I’m hoping we’ll soon be able to give them a reprieve,” said Hartlen.

She says the representatives from across her profession have been meeting with government about the need to address their challenges and it seems the message is getting through.

“The money is great and it goes a long way of helping our CCAs,” said Hartlen. “But I think it’s the government’s recognition of their value that is more important.”

The pay raise goes into effect February 10.

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Executive Director Annette Hartlen looks on as Queens Mayor Darlene Norman and MLA Kim Masland cut the ribbon to open the Caledonia home support office. Photo Queens County Home Support

Queens County Home Support is expanding their services into North Queens.

The agency celebrated the opening of their Caledonia satellite office in the old Credit Union building on Highway #8 on Monday afternoon.

Executive Director Annette Hartlen says with the launch of the satellite office the agency can expand their services beyond home care in North Queens.

Hartlen said the new location is, “Basically a one-stop shop for seniors to get information about supports that may be available to them, whether it’s supports to stay in their own home or whether it’s information on what grants they may qualify for housing and repairs.”

Hartlen says services at the Caledonia office will mirror some of those already in place in Liverpool such as providing clients with help to navigate, print and complete government forms.

She says home care workers have already identified a specific need in North Queens for people to be able to do laundry when wells run low.

“There’s no public laundry facilities there, so we’ve put a washer and dryer in our office. For our clients, that service is authorized through the department of health but they’re scared their well may run dry. Our workers will take their laundry, or bring them if they want to come, to our building and have their laundry done for them,” said Hartlen.

The office will also act as a home base for the agency’s home support workers.

“They have gaps between client visits. They have no place to go. They either sit on the side of the road in their car, or whatever,” said Hartlen. “So this office will enable them a spot to come in, eat their lunch or bathroom break, whatever it may be.”

Hartlen says initially, administrative staff from Liverpool will rotate through the Caledonia office to ensure someone is there to assist during the day Monday to Friday but she hopes to hire people to staff the local office full time.

She says the office is a one-year pilot project to determine if the model can provide better services to seniors by setting up in a smaller community.

If it is successful, Hartlen would like the provincial government to replicate the model across Nova Scotia.

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