Relief Care Bed Program

The Drew provides temporary care for your loved one if you or another primary caregiver are temporarily unable to assist them in their own home. Accommodation in the nursing home can be accessed for specified periods of time, up to 30 days, following which the dependent individual returns to their former living arrangement.

All services provided to the person occupying the relief care bed must meet the requirements of the Nursing Homes Act, Regulations and Standards.

For information about the cost of relief care, please contact us at 506-364-4900.

Program Objectives

The objectives of the Relief Care Bed Program are:

• to provide a period of relief for family units or individuals who care in the home for a person who requires assistance with personal care, activities of daily living and/or needs supervision on a daily basis;
• to provide individuals who have a relatively stabilized chronic illness or functional disability with temporary accommodation in a nursing home for a specified period of from seven to thirty days, following which the individuals return to their former living arrangements;
• to delay or prevent institutionalization of persons with chronic illnesses.

Client/Family

1. The client/family enters into a contract with the nursing home for:
   • the type of supervisory care and service available;
   • the time that the relief care bed will be utilized by the client;
   • the monetary terms of the agreement.
2. Family will have the person medically assessed and ensure that the report is brought to the nursing home. If the medical is more than six months old, a new medical must be obtained.
3. While on the Program, the client is responsible to provide his/her own medications, supplies and/or equipment normally required at home. Medications are to be supplied according to the Nursing Home Regulations.
4. The client must have the attending physician write orders for all medication including over the counter medications.
5. The signed physician orders must be provided to the Home prior to the client’s admission. The medications ordered while in the Home are to be supplied by the contracted pharmacy.

Eligibility Criteria

The following criteria determines who is eligible for admission to a nursing home under the Relief Care Bed Program.

• The client is a New Brunswick resident.
• The client is incapacitated physically and/or mentally requiring care or supervision on a 24 hour basis.
• If a short term admission to a care institution is the most appropriate means of providing the family with period of relief as well as providing the client with the care and supervision required.
• The family is willing to contract with the nursing home for admission of the client for a specified period not to exceed thirty days, following which the client returns to his/her former living arrangement.
• The client or family agrees to pay, at the time of admission to the nursing home, the established per diem fee for the time period specified in the Relief Care Agreement.
• The client has not received relief care services in a nursing home during the previous six months, except in exceptional or extenuating circumstances.

Process for Admission

The following steps outline the process for admission under the Relief Care Bed Program.

• Clients and families wishing to utilize the Program register with the nursing home.
• The personnel of the nursing home provides the following forms/documents to the client:
  • Application for Admission Form “To Relief Care Program”
  • Relief Care Agreement of admission to Relief Care
  • History and Physical Examination Report
  • Brochure explaining the service.
• The client obtains a medical examination from his/her physician, who completes the History and Physical Examination form and forwards it to the nursing home. The medical examination must be current (not over six months old).
• The nursing home completes a care assessment.

Following the review of the completed History and Physical Examination form, the care assessment form and the Application for admission form, the nursing home informs the client of his/her acceptance or non-acceptance into the Program.

Admission Procedure

The established admission procedure ordinarily used for the admission of a client in to a nursing home is also used for the admission of a client under the Relief Care Bed Program.

It may not always be possible to accommodate relief care bed admissions on weekends.

Accommodations

Private room accommodation will be made available for the Relief Care Bed clients.

Care Services

Clients will be accommodated in a private room with attached bathroom for a period not exceeding thirty (30) days unless authorized by the appropriate agency. The client must be a New Brunswick resident and is eligible for a maximum of sixty (60) days in a 12 month period.