Canada: NS nursing home fees go up $1/day
The bill for most of Nova Scotia’s 4,000 nursing home clients is going up by a dollar a day. The provincial Health Department saysbeginning Nov. 1 the standard accommodation charge for a nursing homewill increase to $75.50 per day from $74.50. Health Minister Chris d’Entremont saysthe increase follows a promise to review operational costs and toadjust fees up or down as necessary.
The department will also adjust twoincome areas to reflect increases made to Ottawa’s old age securityguaranteed income supplement. Single seniors will be able to keep 15per cent of their income or $2,556, whichever is greater, before paying accommodation charges — a $102 increase in the minimum retained incomeamount.
Meanwhile, couples who can’t pay thestandard accommodation charges will be able to keep $15,045 per year –a $209 increase in the spousal income threshold amount.
Nova Scotia’s budget for long-term care in 2006-07 is about $326.9 million.
Ed: That’s an increase of $30/month. In contrast, the average bill for nursing home care in the US went up $210/month from 2005 and 2006, according to the 2006 Met Life Survey of Nursing Home and Home Cre Costs. And in the US, nursing home residents get to keep as little as $40 (!) of income (not 15%) for their personal needs, to cover things like clothing, reading material, toiletries, etc.–if they receive any public assistance to pay for their care.