Achi news desk-
In the coming months, Quebec is expected to launch home care services in five hospitals as part of a move that will allow patients to receive care at home under the supervision of medical staff.
Quebec’s minister responsible for the elderly, Sonia Belanger, announced Tuesday that participating hospitals include the Pierre-Boucher Hospital in Longueuil, the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Blois, the Center Université de Montréal (CHUM), the Anne-Laberge Hospital in Levis. Châteauguay and the McGill University Health Center (MUHC).
They will join eight other plants in the Greater Montreal and Quebec City areas that were announced as participating in the program last year.
Four hospitals currently offer the service: Pointe-Claire Lakeshore General Hospital, Montreal Jewish General Hospital, Laval’s Cité-de-la-Santé and Longueuil’s Charles-Le Moyne Hospital.
Four more are expected to do so by the end of the year.
This includes Montreal’s Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and Laurentians Sainte-Agathe Hospital, which are expected to begin offering the service this summer.
Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus in Quebec City and Hôpital Pierre-le-Gardour in Terrebonne are set to launch the program this fall.
Officials note that home care is voluntary and is offered only to patients whose conditions allow it and who have the necessary support at home.
The medical staff can then monitor the patient’s progress remotely using connected devices.
Typically, a patient will receive an iPad that is wirelessly linked to sensors that measure blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar and other indicators.
The hope is to reduce the duration of hospitalizations, as well as the risks associated with staying in a long-term medical facility.
During the 2022 election campaign, the Coalition Avner Quebec (CAQ) pledged to initiate home care programs throughout the province by 2026.
— This Canadian Press report was first published in French on April 23, 2024.
