Hello dear reader!

How is it going?? For me, I have been better … Nathan, my nephew of two and a half years, brought home a stomach flu from daycare.  I live in an intergenerational house with my mother, my brother and his little family. My mother had a more severe reaction than me but when you’re disabled and your caregiver is unavailable, it’s very difficult, believe me!

So, the current situation serves to introduce the subject of the day: the home care assistance offered to people with disabilities by health care services. I can only talk about my situation and my experience with my local CLSC services (Local Community Service Centers in Quebec)

In 2014, our home mortgage appraiser had judged my outside elevator too old and unsafe during his inspection. We then went to the CLSC in my neighborhood, filled out forms and, with the help of an occupational therapist, it took a year to realize our Residential Adaptation Assistance Program. The latter is a subsidy to adapt the home of people with reduced mobility. The amount of these grants varies from one budget to another, from one person to another and from one region to another. At last, however, I was entitled to a maximum of $ 25,000 every five years.

In short, from that moment, I stayed in touch with the occupational therapist. She was the one who informed me about the help and services available. Again, with my personal situation and this can vary by individuals , I was evaluated and was entitled to about thirty hours per week of support by an auxiliary for essential tasks (eating, bathing, dressing, going to the bathroom, etc.). ),

For now, I use these help services sporadically, to relieve my mother – But there will come a time when I will be more dependent  on these services

In addition, the CLSC, again, can make more expensive devices available to us by lending them to us. Personally, I have at home a portable lift that is very useful in case of a fall! I know I have access to a social worker if needed.

… So, for my next publication, I think I’m going to address one of the symptoms that’s most affecting me right now, spasticity.

See you soon!