Island seniors living at home get more help from province

Supporting Island families -

Island seniors will get financial help from the provincial government to enjoy a better quality of life in their own homes.

A new Seniors Independence Program will provide for practical services such as light housekeeping, meal preparation, general maintenance, snow removal, and transportation - making it easier for seniors to remain in their own homes and communities.

“As a government we want to do all we can to ensure our seniors have the assistance they need to remain independent, comfortable and safe in their own homes for as long as they can,” Family and Human Services Minister Tina Mundy said. “This program will be a great supplement to supports provided by family members and other existing supports such as home care, seniors home renovation programs, and the Out of Province Travel Support Program.”

The program will assist seniors 65 and over living alone - or with a spouse - with a net household income of $22,150 or less for a single person or $31,300 or less for a couple.  It will help seniors with their unmet daily needs.

“This is an absolutely wonderful program to assist seniors to stay in their own homes,” said Gladys Dirani of Charlottetown. “I have many friends who will benefit from this support and I really appreciate the PEI government doing this for seniors.”

The first phase of the program will begin January 1, 2018 and work will continue to develop the final program which will be fully implemented in April 2018.

Seniors approved to receive funding can either directly choose service providers, with the exception of immediate family members, or select from a list of agency-approved businesses.

The program will be available January 1, 2018 by contacting Family and Human Services at 1-877-569-0546.

Backgrounder on Seniors Independence Program

The aim of the Seniors Independence Program is to provide some assistance for supports in order for seniors to live independently.

The types of services covered by the program relate to housekeeping, grounds keeping, meal preparation and supports to get groceries or attend medical appointments. The level of support will depend on the seniors level of functioning. Level of function is based on an in-home assessment.

The program is available to low income Island seniors, which is determined by a financial assessment. Applicants must provide income tax and banking information to determine financial eligibility.

Seniors who believe they qualify for the types of services offered, should call for an application. Once the completed application ‎is returned, they will receive a call to book an appointment with a member from the program.

Once the financial and functional assessments are complete, and if the applicant is deemed eligible, a case worker will discuss their needs and level of support available. 

Media contact:
Darlene Gillis
ddgillis@gov.pe.ca