My batteries are recharged!!!

I enjoyed a wonderful week in Nova Scotia, appreciating the beautiful views from Cabot Cape Breton. Walking the Links with a local caddy I asked how older Nova Scotians typically fare and asked about residences and home care.  He shared that many locals have large families (he has 90 first cousins) and they ‘look after their own’.

This is a good thing because: “About 22 per cent of Atlantic Canadians are 65 or older, compared with about 15 per cent of people in the rest of the country. By 2043, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick could be home to the highest proportions of seniors aged 85 or older in the country, with people in that age category expected to make up more than six per cent of the population in each of those provinces” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/cp-atlantic-provinces-seniors-2043-1.6432892.

In fact, Nova Scotia is the ONLY province that offers a Caregiver Allowance.

While this is great, the requirements are that care is provided for 20 hours per week, the senior must be considered ‘low income’ and sadly, the benefit is for  only $400 per month. Do the math, maybe better than a kick in the pants, but certainly not enough.

We still have a long way to go……