Free hours first. Ours second.
Alberta pays for home care, there is no income test, and you can choose who delivers it.
We will help you through this whether or not you become a client. A family who understands their funding makes better decisions, and we would rather be the people who told them.
Getting assessed
Publicly funded home care in Alberta is arranged through Assisted Living Alberta. Once a case manager has assessed an unmet care need, the funded hours cost nothing, and there is no means test.
You do not need a doctor to refer you. Call Health Link at 811 and ask for a home care assessment. Anybody can do this: the senior, an adult child, or a neighbour with permission.
What funded care usually does not cover
Housekeeping, companionship, most transportation, and the long stretches of the day between short scheduled visits. That gap is where private hours normally get used.
Before you call 811
Write down, for a normal week:
- What tasks need another person, and how often
- Falls, near-falls, or times they have got lost in the last six months
- Medications and who currently manages them
- Who is providing care now, and how many hours a week
- What happens at night
Ask for the case manager’s name and direct line, ask when the plan will be reviewed, and ask about CDHCI by name.
Client Directed Home Care Invoicing (CDHCI)
Your funded hours do not have to be delivered by whoever is assigned to you. Once you have been assessed, you can choose your own approved provider, and that provider invoices Alberta Blue Cross directly. You pay only the difference between the funded rate and the provider’s rate, if there is one.
It tends to fit when
- The care need is predictable week to week
- The client, or someone acting for them, can direct their own care
- The person lives in their own home or a private apartment
It does not fit when
- The person lives in a congregate setting
- Needs change sharply from week to week
- Care is needed within days, before an assessment can happen
[Confirm Finding Dora’s Alberta Blue Cross CDHCI provider status before launch.]