How to Pay for Home Care in Manitoba
Let’s say you were recently hospitalized and require health services in your own home while recovering. Or you have a disability and need regular assistance with daily activities. Or you’re looking after someone in your family with an ongoing health issue, and you need more support for your loved one.
You may be considering home care and wondering how it works.
Home care services are for people who need support to remain at home. They may include services like:
Personal Care: Assistance with daily living activities like bathing, dressing, and mobility.
Home Support: Help with tasks like meal preparation, light housekeeping, and laundry.
Health Care: Nursing care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and other specialized services like home dialysis or IV therapy.
Respite Care: Temporary relief for caregivers, either in the home or in an alternate setting.
Publicly funded home care
In Manitoba, we’re fortunate to have publicly funded home care, which means you can get many of these services without paying out of pocket. Service is available to eligible residents based on assessed needs (not income level), and all services are coordinated through your regional health authority (RHA). This publicly funded and publicly delivered home care is also sometimes called Community Delivered care. In Winnipeg, home care is delivered by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA).
Publicly funded: Self and Family Managed Care (SFMC)
If you'd prefer to manage personal care or home support services more directly, RHAs in Manitoba offer a Self and Family-Managed Care option that allows you to do that – either by finding your own care provider or hiring a private agency. (Professional health care services like nursing and therapy are still managed through your regional health authority.)
The Self and Family-Managed Care option can offer you greater control over when services are provided and by whom, while still being delivered within the public system.
Paying out of pocket
In certain circumstances, the services available through publicly funded home care may not be enough or may not be delivered in a way that works for you.
Some Manitobans choose to pay for home care services themselves, either instead of publicly funded home care or as a top-up. They may do this for various reasons. For instance, there may be a waitlist for publicly funded home care in their part of the province, and they want to access services quickly. Or the amount of home care available through the public system is insufficient for their needs, so they supplement it with their own funding.
It is important to know that the cost of home care varies depending on the needs of the individual and the pricing of the provider. Typically, the cost of home care in Manitoba can range from under $20/hr and up to $ 50/hr.
Did you Know?
You can find safety vetted care providers on Care Possible platform starting at around $20/hour?
Private insurance
Some private insurance plans may offer some coverage for home care services. Services that may be covered under private insurance include assisted care (support for activities of daily living) and private nursing (care provided by registered nurses or licensed practical nurses).
Coverage amounts will vary and will often require a medical prescription. Coverage may also be limited to situations where a member is unable to leave their residence for treatment due to their medical condition. If you have private insurance, consider checking what coverage you may have.
If you're considering private insurance to support your future home care needs, it's a good idea to review plan eligibility carefully or speak with an insurance advisor.
Other funding sources
Other sources of funding available for home care services are dependent upon your specific circumstances. These could include:
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC): Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) provides coverage for personal care and housekeeping services for eligible veterans. This support is part of VAC’s commitment to helping veterans maintain their independence and quality of life.
Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI): The Personal Injury Protection Plan (PIPP), offered through Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), covers the cost of hiring someone to assist you when accident-related injuries prevent you from managing your own care following a motor vehicle accident.
Workers Compensation Board (WCB): WCB may provide funding for personal care services following a workplace injury. If an employee is injured on the job and is unable to care for themselves during recovery, WCB can cover the cost of assistance with daily living.
Understanding your options to find a care provider
Regardless of if you are using public services, public funding, other funding, or paying out of pocket, you have a few options to find a worker:
Receive workers from RHA as part of the home care program
Hire a care provider directly and become an employer
Hire a private agency
Hire an independent care provider or self-employed worker (made easier with Care Possible!)
We’ll cover these options in more detail in an upcoming article; however, Care Possible was created to support people in finding workers and offers a community of independent care providers, making it easier for you to hire qualified, vetted care providers that are the right fit for you or your loved one.
About Care Possible
Care Possible is a non-profit social enterprise by Manitoba Possible, dedicated to providing affordable, flexible, and preference-based in-home and respite care services. We support seniors, individuals with disabilities, and families using self and family-managed care in Winnipeg. Our mission is to ensure that every Manitoban who accesses care has an excellent experience.