CBC News has learned seniors at some Ottawa hospitals have been given an extra $100 in their mailbox over the holidays.
The $100 is to be given to seniors who don’t have health insurance and for those who don´t have a spouse or dependents to help them out.
In addition, the pay is being provided for a limited time to senior citizens with pre-existing conditions.
“We know there are seniors who need help and we know there is seniors who can use this to help themselves,” said Julie McQuaid, who heads the Ottawa Senior Care Centre, which helps seniors with pre-, post- and post-recession health conditions.
She said the pay will be delivered by the Ottawa Health Department, which is working with the seniors themselves to see what services are most needed.
“It is really helpful to know that we have a place in Ottawa to reach out to, and we have an opportunity to do that for them,” McQuab said.
The pay is only available to seniors under the age of 65 who have health care coverage through their employer, or a health plan.
“The fact that we are doing this for seniors who have pre-existing conditions, they are not able to do it on their own, but the government has a lot of support,” said McQuamish.
Ottawa Health is providing health care and financial assistance for senior citizens through the Canadian Community Services Association, a non-profit organization that helps low-income seniors and seniors with disabilities.
The CASA is also providing an additional $100 to seniors for a year.
“We have a couple of programs that we’ve put in place to help seniors with medical issues,” said Margaret Ducharme, director of operations for the Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
Ducharmes said the CASA has been doing a lot to help the Ottawa community.
She said that the CAS has had a lot more people visit the Ottawa Hospice and other social services in the past year.
Ducharmes said that seniors in the Ottawa area are able to receive a $300 lump sum payment.
The Ottawa Hospital Hospital Foundation has been working to get more seniors into hospice care, Ducharthes said.
She added that the hospital has been adding nurses and staff to hospice services.
To learn more about how to get help with your health issues, call 1-866-999-6227 or visit the CAUSA website.
SOURCE: Ottawa Hospital Centre, Canadian Community Care Association, Ottawa Health, Canadian Medical Association, Ontario Provincial Police, Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Hospital, Health Canada, Health Insurance Corporation of Canada, Ottawa SeniorCare, Ontario, Ontario Health Ministry, Ottawa Community Care, Ottawa, Ontario Public Service Commission, Ottawa Civic Association, OPP, Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Fire Service, City of Ottawa, City and County of Ottawa