LIVE AT HOME PROGRAM: Servirplus launches a new in-home private health care service

Today, Servirplus is launching an in-home private health care program. These services are intended for senior citizens who wish to continue living at home, but who may require some assistance to do so, as well as individuals who may experience certain ad hoc or transient needs, for example, after undergoing surgery.

 

Remaining at home, safe and sound

The data is plain for all to see, senior citizens want to remain at home as long as possible. “The home is a veritable entrenched foundation for senior citizens, their routines and memories permeate everywhere. But over time, they may perhaps feel a little less safe and secure than before, due to health problems that may require follow-ups, difficulties in moving about or in doing their daily chores. This is precisely where we can come in, our nurses, orderlies, companions, social workers and others can intervene to help these individuals remain at home longer, happy, safe and sound”, explains Annie Audy, Head of the Live at home program at Servirplus.

 

A wide range of comprehensive care, adapted to each individual

Servirplus professionals offer a complete range of services such as basic care and hygiene, which includes help going to bed and getting up in the morning, meal preparation and personal hygiene. Nurses can change bandages, care for lesions, give injections and do follow-ups on chronic diseases. Social workers and psychologists notably intervene in situations requiring stress or anxiety management. Finally, to provide support to family caregivers, Servirplus also offers custodial housekeeping and rest services.

 

An experienced team

To ensure the professionalism of its services, Servirplus management requires each of its specialists to be a member in good standing of their respective professional corporation. Each professional has to have received up-to-date training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). To ensure their integrity, background checks are done on each individual's previous professional experience and on whether they have a criminal record. “We make no compromises with regard to the quality of our services, we select the best candidates, we evaluate their performance regularly, we offer them continuing education, as well as the best working conditions”, explains Annie Audy.

 

A thorough evaluation of the individual's needs

Servirplus professionals are trained to assess an individual's needs along several dimensions: daily living and domestic routines, mobility, communication, mental alertness, etc. This assessment is done in the home and, where applicable, can be based upon assessments already made by a CLSC, in co-operation with the latter. Afterwards, the Servirplus team is better equipped to offer the kind of home care services that truly correspond to the needs of the individual and their next of kin.

 

To make an appointment, anyone who is interested can contact Servirplus at: (450) 467-7000, whose offices are located at 1014 Richelieu Street, in Beloeil (next door to the church).

 

Some data on the ageing of the population:

 

• If the current trend continues, over a 30-year span, to wit from 1996 to 2026, the proportion of senior citizens 65 years old and older, which is currently 14.4%, will double to nearly 25%, according to the Institut de la statistique du Québec.

 

• In the Province of Quebec, life expectancy for women was 79.7 years in 1985-1987. In 2004-2006, it rose to 82.9 years. For men, it has gone from 72.2 to 78.0 years.

 

• Family caregivers provide somewhere between 70% and 85% of the care delivered in the home. In the majority of cases, this involves women who are often over 45 years old and who have to try to balance the imperatives of their personal life, family life and professional life. In addition, many family caregivers are themselves senior citizens. In 2001, 58.7% of people 65 years old or older took care of or provided assistance to another senior citizen, including 75,000 of them (16.2%) who spent five hours or more per week doing this.

 

• Isolation affects senior citizens. On average, 34% of people between the age of 65 and 69 years old live alone. This proportion jumps up to 87% for people over 90 years, due to the death of their spouse. Women over 65 also live alone more often than men. Accordingly, 72% of men live in couples, while only 39% of women do so.

 

Data drawn from the REPORT FROM THE PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF SENIOR CITIZENS: Preparing for the future with our senior citizens.

 

Servirplus is a Quebec-based family-run company that has been in business since 1995. Their experienced team is well-established and widely recognized in the health and social services domain. Servirplus boasts a network of 11 points of service that enables it to effectively address requests for its services in almost every region across the Province of Quebec. The strength of its network: the pooling and sharing of the expertise of its employees, that total more than 600 professionals.