One Solution Tried, But Went Nowhere!

 By Kendall Worth!

Entrance to Halifax Infirmary

For this post, I interviewed people I am calling Mr and Mrs Welfare recipient. As usual I am using fake names to avoid any backlash and stigma from others if they were recognized. I want to be clear that these people are not in any type of romantic relationship and they are barely Friends. They just happen to know each other through standing in line at their food bank every 3 weeks.

One of the many issues I touch on, that affect Income assistance recipients, who live socially isolated lives, is illustrating what they run into when they have to go into the hospital for day surgery I have written extensively about this issue on my blog, and through my past journalism in the now-folded NS Advocate.

In this post I also want to answer a question that comes up from people in the community about people living in poverty going into the hospital for day surgery.

But First:

Ms. Welfare Recipient – She gets the standard house hold rate of $950.00 plus a rental subsidy of $300.00 a month, plus $81.00 for 3 special diets and $40.00 for the telephone allowance. Her total income = $1371.00. Her rent is $1000 a month leaving $371.00. Her special diet and telephone allowance go directly to those needs = $250.00 Then her power bill is $80.00, so, subtracting that she is left $170.00 a month left for regular groceries, hygiene products etc. And what else? She has to go into the hospital for an upcoming hernia repair. Like many who live in the situation of being on income assistance, she cannot make arrangements to get the required ride home following Surgery. This is what her and Mr. Welfare Recipient have in common.

Mr Welfare Recipient – He gets a CPP Disability cheque in the amount of $509.00 a month then would be entitled to the full $950.00 a month from The Employment Support and Income Assistance Program (ESIA) if that $509.00 a month did not get clawed back from income assistance. However, his $509.00 from CPP iS clawed back from Income Assistance which means he only gets $950.00 - $509.00 = $441.00 a month from Income Assistance. He does get a sweet deal with this rent because he lives in a house where someone made their basement into an apartment and only pays $700 a month for rent. Everything; even the telephone included. Not too often you can find this. Still he only has $250.00 a month left for groceries and hygiene products. The cost of everything keeps increasing so, these days this does not go very far. He also has to go into the hospital for upcoming Day Surgery, but did not go into detail.

As described in this post, I sometimes feel like I am tried of talking about this topic and why. Anyway there is one question that comes up from readers:  

Kendall, have the people you advocate for when they are in need re: hospital discharge ever speak to a Patient Representative, at the hospital. Did they have any response about options for a ride home with an accompanying person, following surgery?

So I suggested to Mr and MS Welfare recipient, that they give this a try. However , their conversation with the Patient Rep went no where.

So the Patient Rep they met with at the QE#2 Emerge, offered no options. She just pretty much behaved like she does not understand their situation. 

Instead she suggested talking to friends and family members and repeated the suggestion, even after Ms and Mr. Welfare recipient explained to the Patient Rep  that there were no friends or family members available, or that they were even in touch with, beyond other folks in line at food bank or soup kitchens. Also Ms and Mr welfare Recipient Explained that People they know through in line at food bank or soup kitchens, are all without cars, and do not have the Ability to Drive. 

Also Ms and Mr. welfare recipient explained that they do not have a close enough relationship to accompany someone home from the hospital.  

The Patient Rep then suggested that they start getting in touch with friends and family members they have not spoken to years, to see if they will help. At that point Ms and Mr Welfare Recipient tried to talk to her in detail about their social situation; that friends and family are NOT an option. We do not keep in touch with family members. 

We believe it likely that some 80% of the people on income assistance are in this same situation. They told me, “Kendall, we tried explaining to her the exact way you wrote it in this post, and this one. We told the Patient Rep top read those posts to help her understand. The Patient Rep then raised her voice, and told us that the surgery will be cancelled if no-one is with you to drive you home on the day of surgery and staying overnight in the hospital is not an option.”

So trying to talk to a QEII Patient Representative, about what options are available in their situation, went no where.