Home Health and Support Services

Submenu:
- Can we help you?
- Quality, experienced care
- A wide range of services
- Care is always available
- GVCSS is non-profit
- Payment for services
- For more information

Can we help you?
Greater Vancouver Community Services Society serves people living in the Greater Vancouver Regional District who for reasons of health or disability many require assistance to remain in their home safely and independently. Our services are available on a private pay basis, or may be funded totally or in part by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

If you or someone you love needs:

• Complex care
• Palliative or end-of-life care
• Convalescent care
• Life-skills support to those with cognitive or psychiatric disabilities
• Companionship, escorts or exercise routines
• Alzheimer and dementia care
• Respite services in the home.

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Quality, experienced care
Our staff includes

• Provincially certified and college educated Community Health Workers, who offer personal care assistance such as bathing, grooming, transfers, medication reminders and rehabilitation activities. They also help in maintaining household routines through such activities as meal preparation, shopping and laundry. We currently serve more than 200 non-English speaking clients and we have a specialized team of workers who speak a number of Chinese dialects.
• Registered and Licensed Practical Nurses, who provide skilled, professional nursing care for short and longer term assignments.
• Agency Supervisors, who visit the client at home to ensure a compatible match and a safe, workable care plan for each individual,. Supervisors are available by telephone 24 hours, 7 days per week to respond to urgent service requirements or problems.

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A wide range of services
GVCSS Community Health workers are skilled in providing many basic nursing services including

• the use of medical equipment and lifts,
• managing continence and toileting needs,
• assistance with bathing and personal hygiene
• assistance with feeding and nutritional problems,
• accompaniment to medical or social appointments,
• providing medication reminders or
• standard procedures such as instilling eye drops or applying therapeutic stockings.

GVCSS Home Support supervisors work closely with physicians, Health Authorities, hospitals and families to make sure each home support plan is complete, safe and customized to our client's needs and preferences. Under the guidance of our Nursing Team, workers can also be trained to safely perform specialized procedures at home which ordinarily are carried out by professional care givers.

Our specialized programs include: Alzheimer's Care, Mental Health Support, Palliative Care and assistance to people with disabilities in the hiring and management of personal care attendants. We also work closely with a group of clients who prefer to recruit their own care givers through the BC government's Enhanced Consumer Participation Model.

GVCSS is a leader in service innovation and quality improvement initiatives in the home health field. GVCSS was a pioneer in the provision of at-home care for people with AIDS and specializes in custom-made solutions for people with complex and challenging care requirements.

GVCSS enjoys a partnership with a number of service and housing agencies in coordinating and delivering home support in retirement housing or assisted living settings.

GVCSS staff also provide community and caregiver education and outreach regarding services and strategies available to support people at home. Our staff are happy to work with individual clients and families in suggesting suitable techniques and procedures which can make care at home more comfortable for all involved.

Visits by our supervisors and nurses to provide this kind of training or to set up care for a client are provided at no additional charge to the client.

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Care is always available
Care is available on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and live-in basis. GVCSS employs more than 250 Community Health Workers in addition to our nursing and supervisory staff. We are able to respond to service requests on a scheduled basis or, in an urgent situation, within a few hours notice.

Our 1400 Clients reside mainly in the City of Vancouver, but Community Health Workers can serve clients in most parts of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, on request.

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GVCSS is non-profit
As a non-profit Society we work extensively with public health funders and private insurers and individuals to ensure that funds available to support home health are used wisely and prudently to support each client's goals and aspirations. We use the donations we receive to provide training and education for our Community Health workers, as well as needed equipment and supplies for our clients.

Our resources go into services, not advertising.

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Payment for services
Payment for services can be arranged directly with you or your family or through your insurance company.

You may be eligible for services funded by a government agency such as the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Community (www.vch.ca) or the Department of Veteran's Affairs, ICBC or WCB.

To find out about eligibility for government funding for home health and support services, go to www.vch.ca and follow the links to Vancouver Community Home and Community Care for Adults or call your local Community Health Centre

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For more information
To find out more about GVCSS Home Health & Support Services, or to arrange a confidential home visit to discuss individual requirements please contact:

Home Support Program Director
Phone:		604-714-3502
Email:		dhill@gvcss.bc.ca

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