Special care home residents to receive nursing care in-house
Seniors and people with disabilities in special care homes will now have access to nursing resources and clinical support through the province’s Extra-Mural Program.
The program, also known as ‘hospital without walls’ provides home health services to residents of New Brunswick. This expansion of the service will include all 424 special care homes in the province.
According to a government release, making special care homes part of the health-care system’s front-line services is meant to provide integrated care and reduce the strain on hospitals.
Program nurses will now provide services like medication and injection support, wound care, palliative care, vaccinations, chronic disease management, mobile diagnoses, non-911 first-response care, and clinical oversight.
Premier Susan Holt says more than 7,000 New Brunswickers will now get nursing care in their home as opposed to in a hospital bed.
“By bringing the Extra-Mural Program into every special care home in our province, we’re connecting seniors to primary care, improving their quality of life, and easing pressure on our hospital so they can focus on emergencies and surgeries,” said the Premier.
Seniors Minister Lyne Chantal Boudreau says the announcement shows the government’s focus to improving long-term care and supporting seniors in aging comfortably.
“We are enhancing access to essential care, helping seniors live healthier lives and remain as independent as possible, within their communities and close to their families,” said Boudreau.
Health Minister John Dornan says the integration addresses key pressures in the health-care network.
“Providing nursing care directly within these facilities ensures residents’ health needs are met while alleviating demands on acute care services,” said Dornan.