Towards a national Policy for family caregivers

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The bill proposes a definition of the “person close to the helping professions”.

The minister responsible for Seniors and caregivers, Marguerite Blais, has filed on Thursday a draft law aiming to recognize and support the people close to helping.

This requires the government to adopt a national Policy for the persons loved ones caregivers with a plan of action.

Bill 56 also provides the minister of Health and social Services ” a power of inspection of private residences for seniors and other resources offering lodging to vulnerable clients “.

It also provides for the creation of an “appellation reserved” for the ” houses of the elders “, who were at the heart of the electoral programme of the Coalition avenir Québec, in 2018.

Six principles

Bill 56 sets out the six guiding principles of the national Policy for family caregivers :

– Recognize the considerable contribution of the people close to helping québec society and the importance of the support

– Foster the preservation of the health and well-being of people close to helping as well as maintaining their life balance

– To consider the diversity of realities of the people close to caregivers in response to their specific needs

– Acknowledge the experience of people close to caregivers and their knowledge, as well as those of the person being helped, and consider them in the framework of an approach based on partnership

– Respect the wishes and capacities of the people close to caregivers as to the nature and extent of their commitment

– Facilitate collaborative government and collective at the national level, regional and local level by involving the people close to helping to promote responses that are tailored to their specific needs.

Bill 56 requires that departments and agencies of the québec government to take account of these guiding principles, as well as different orientations — development of environments supporting social participation of people close to carers, for example, in the development, implementation and evaluation of their programs, services, or other measures.

Bill 56 also forces the quebec government to adopt an action plan containing the measures and the actions planned to implement the national policy, and this, every five years.

An observatory and two committees

Bill 56 will create the Observatoire québécois de la close aidance, which will provide the information “reliable” and “objective” in the matter of close to aidance. It will also establish the monitoring Committee of the government’s action to support the people close to helping and the Committee of concerned partners through the support of people close to helpful to the adviser.

A definition of a caregiver in the act

The bill defines a “person close to the helping professions” as ” a person who, on a continuous or occasional, provides significant support to a member of his entourage who has a temporary disability or a permanent and with whom she shares an emotional connection, whether it is family or not.” The “support” offered by the “person close to the helping professions” can take various forms : transportation, help with personal care and domestic work, emotional support or health care organization.