Useful Website Links
Where do we go from here?
Navigating the Alberta Health Care System for Dementia
Useful Website Links
1. Government
1.1 Canada
1.1.1 Health Canada
1.1.1.1 Main Link
1.1.1.2 Services
- Information (see Health Canada top menu)
- Dementia Friends Canada
1.1.2 Senate of Canada
1.1.3 Canada Parliament
1.1.4 Revenue Canada
1.1.4.1 Main Link
1.1.4.2 Services and Tax Credits
- Disability Tax Credit: This is a non-refundable tax credit for people with a disability which can also be transferred to their caregivers.
- Canada Caregiver Credit (CCC): This is available to a caregiver who supports a family member with a physical or mental impairment.
1.1.5 General
1.2 Alberta
1.2.1 Alberta Health
1.2.1.1 Main Link
1.2.1.2 Services
- Information
- My Health is a very useful website developed by the Alberta Government and Alberta Health Services. It provides a wide scope of information and tools related to health issues.
- Concerns, Complaints, Feedback and Audits
- Complaints Mechanism for SL and LTC accommodations.
- Accommodation Audits for specific SL and LTC facilities. Type in information in “Accommodation Search” box.
- The Alberta Health Advocates organization is a department of Alberta Health and falls under the Health Advocate Regulation
- Benefits and Subsidies
- Coverage for Seniors Benefit (Alberta Blue Cross)
- Alberta Aids to Daily Living (AADL), which covers a wide variety of supplies. This benefit falls under the Alberta Aids to Daily Living and Extended Benefits Regulation.
1.2.1.3 Acts, Regulations, Standards and Guides
1.2.1.3.1 Documents Relevant to Health Care and Information
- Health Care
- Continuing Care
- Home Care
- Health Advocates
- Benefits
- Access to Information, Privacy and Protection
- Protection of Persons in Care
1.2.1.3.2 Documents relevant to accommodations
Supportive Living (SL)
- Supportive Living Guide: This provides a good overview of the program.
- Supportive Living Accommodation Licensing Act: This is the main act.
- Supportive Living Accommodation Licensing Regulation: This provides regulations on the licensing requirements and the responsibilities of the Supportive Living facility operator.
- Supportive Living Accommodation Standards and Licensing Information Guide: This provides more details on the regulations. It lays out the basis for government audits of facilities and is useful reading, particularly when residents (or family members) have complaints concerning the accommodations or services rendered.
- Supportive Living Accommodation Standards and Checklist: This is a much more detailed document used for audits.
Long-term Care (LTC)
- Nursing Homes Act This is the main act.
- Nursing Homes General Regulation: This document and the one below provide regulations on the licensing requirements and the responsibilities of the Long-term Care facility operator.
- Nursing Homes Operation Regulation
- Long-term Care Accommodation Standards and Licensing Information Guide: This provides more details on the regulations. It lays out the basis for government audits of facilities and is useful reading, particularly when residents (or family members) have complaints concerning the accommodations or services rendered.
- Long-term Care Accommodation Standards and Checklist: This is a much more detailed document used for audits.
1.2.2 Alberta Health Services (AHS)
1.2.2.1 Main Links
1.2.2.2 Services
- Health Link Provides information and advice through its website and its 24/7 811 phone service.
- Patient Relations Department complaint, concerns and feedback mechanism.
- Alberta Home Care (Medicine Hat Office)
- Dementia Advice
- Hospitals
- Councils
- Palliative Care:
- Respite
1.2.2.3 Policies, Procedures, Guides and Strategies
- Continuing Care
- Continuing Care
- Designated Supportive Living
- Living Options Guidelines
- Access to Designated Living Option in Continuing Care (see AHS Policies, Procedures and Standards)
- Principles of Visitation and Family Presence in Continuing Care (see AHS Policies, Procedures and Standards)
- Family Support & Visitation of Patients & Residents – COVID-19
- Guidelines for Outbreak Prevention, Control and Management in Acute Care and Facility Living Sites
- Palliative and End of Life Care, Alberta Provincial Framework
- Alberta Dementia Strategy and Action Plan
- Progress on this strategy can be found in the 2019 Alberta Health report.
- Continuing Care Glossary
- Placement in Facility
- Moving to a new home in continuing care
- Access to Designated Living Option in Continuing Care (see AHS Policies, Procedures and Standards)
- Designated Living Option: Access and Waitlist Management in Continuing Care (see AHS Policies, Procedures and Standards)
- Alternate Level of Care Accommodation Charges – Patients Waiting for Continuing Care (see AHS Policies, Procedures and Standards)
- Behaviour and Antipsychotics
- Concerns and Complaints
- Green Sleeve
1.2.3 Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA)
1.2.3.1 Main Link
- The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) is an agency that falls under a specific Alberta Health Act.
1.2.3.2 Services
- Alberta Home Care Client Experience Survey (2016)
- Long Term Care Family Experience Survey (2017)
- Designated Supportive Living Family & Resident Experience Survey (2019).
The last two surveys include overall and issue-specific ratings of individual facilities.
1.2.4 Alberta Seniors and Housing
1.2.4.1 Main Link
1.2.4.2 Services
- Office of the Seniors Advocate Alberta
- Alberta Seniors Benefit Program, which offers supplementary income to the Federal Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement.
- Dental and Optical Assistance for Seniors, which deals with dental work, eye exams and surgery, as well as optical devices.
- Special Needs Assistance for Seniors (SNA), to fund the cost of “appliances and some health and personal support”.
- Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program.
- Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Program (SHARP). This is a low-interest loan program.
1.2.4.3 Regulations
1.2.5 Alberta Community and Social Services
1.2.5.1 Main Link
1.2.5.2 Services
- Alberta Adult Health Benefit, which provides dental care, eyewear, prescription drugs, ambulance services and diabetic supplies.
- Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH).
- Residential Access Modification Program (RAMP), which provides financial support for individuals with mobility challenges in their home.
1.2.6 Alberta Ombudsman
1.2.6.1 Main Link
1.2.7 Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General
1.2.7.1 Main Link
1.2.7.2 Services
- Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT) provides services to those who have no-one to help them as Personal Directive Agent (Guardian) or Power of Attorney (Trustee).
1.2.7.3 Regulations
1.2.8 General
1.3 Medicine Hat
1.3.1 Main Link
1.3.2 Services
1.3.3 Document
- Introduction to Seniors Housing or Lodging in Medicine Hat document, which describes general housing options as well as a list of available facilities.
2. Organizations
2.1 Not for Profit
2.1.1 Alzheimer Society of Canada
2.1.1.1 Main Links
2.1.1.2 Services
- First Link referral program.
- Asant Café online discussion forum.
- See Society websites or contact local office for other services.
2.1.2 Other Organization Relevant to Dementia, Caregivers and Seniors Concerns
2.1.3 Supportive Living and Long-term Care Facilities
- The Alberta Health Accommodation Search website can be used to obtain information concerning specific Albertan senior home accommodations. A list of facilities in a specific city is available on the website by entering the name of the city in the search box. Further information for a senior home may be obtained from the facility website and from the Alberta Health Services (AHS) website by entering the name of the facility in the “Search AHS” box.
- The current rates for subsidized Supportive Care (DSL) and Long-term Care (LTC) facilities are posted on the Alberta Health website.
- See list of facilities (non-profit and for profit) in Medicine Hat prepared by the City of Medicine Hat Seniors Services
2.1.4 Day Programs
2.1.5 Medical Equipment Loans
2.1.6 Palliative Care
2.1.7 Companions
- Some local organizations provide Community Access to People in Continuing Care grants for residents under 65 years of age in Long-term Care facilities. The grant allows residents to hire Companions to help them go out into the community and to participate in local events. The program can also bring events into the facility for residents with limited mobility.