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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
\u2018That tells me nothing has been changing,\u2019 says Eric De Schepper, whose partner, Katherine Ellis, died while waiting for home care.<\/p>\n
In 2021, that number \u2014 the midway point between the longest and shortest wait times \u2014 was 14 days, data obtained via a freedom of information request show.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt tells me that nothing has been changing,\u201d said Eric De Schepper.<\/p>\n
His dying wife didn\u2019t receive the proper home care services she needed in 2023. Since then, he\u2019s advocated for a better system.<\/p>\n
De Schepper encouraged Manitobans to speak up about their waits \u2014 it \u201cmay make a difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A maximum 545 clients were waiting for a home-care assessment in Winnipeg last year. At minimum, 476 people waited, the regional health authority\u2019s data show.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s similar to 2021: between 363 and 574 people waited for an assessment at a given time.<\/p>\n
(The maximum peaked in 2024, at 595 clients waiting.)<\/p>\n
Laura Funk, a University of Manitoba sociology professor, noted wait times haven\u2019t changed since the COVID-19 pandemic that strained health-care resources.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization declared in 2023 that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would hope that as things improved, that things would stabilize with case co-ordinator workloads,\u201d said Funk, who researches care for older adults.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Then) they could maybe get on top of those referrals for the assessments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Case co-ordinators oversee initial home care assessments. The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals represents 106 of them \u2014 just one more than the 105 who were working 2019, said Jason Linklater, the union\u2019s president.<\/p>\n
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said it staffs 277 case co-ordinators for home care.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \u201cWorkloads and complexity have\u2026 increased substantially,\u201d Linklater said. \u201c(The co-ordinators are) amazing people but they certainly can\u2019t do it all, and they need more resources.\u201d<\/p>\n Trainees are told to assess potential home care clients within two weeks, Linklater said. At least half of clients last year waited longer.<\/p>\n Co-ordinators are also tasked with year-later check-ins, to see if Manitobans\u2019 needs have changed. It adds to the workload but is essential for care, Linklater said.<\/p>\n Manitobans often wait for home care services after being assessed. It\u2019s critical that assessments are timely, Funk said.<\/p>\n \u201cMany older adults might be a bit reluctant to accept formal care services,\u201d she said. \u201cBy the time they\u2019re asking, there can be some urgency to that request.<\/p>\n \u201cThose family carers might be under considerable strain.\u201d<\/p>\n The Free Press reported on weeks-long waits<\/a> for initial visits with home care in 2023. People don\u2019t wait as long if home care is deemed clinically necessary, data showed at the time.<\/p>\n Assessment wait times are consistent because the volume of clients waiting has been consistent, said Scott Sime, communications director for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.<\/p>\n Wait times vary by community and are influenced by the volume and complexity of cases, Sime wrote in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cOur approach is focused on intake and strengthening the entire home care system so it can meet growing demand,\u201d Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said in a statement, highlighting hiring and improving home care scheduling.<\/p>\n The lack of staff affects home care services, said Margaret Schroeder, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 204. The union represents more than 2,000 home care staff, including aides (but not case co-ordinators).<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re always having to head out to the next call,\u201d Schroeder said. \u201cThey\u2019re still providing good quality care\u2026 but they feel that it\u2019s rushed.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the stagnant assessment wait times are disappointing, but not surprising.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \u201cThe population is still aging, and more and more folks are staying at home,\u201d Schroeder said. \u201cWe need to be able to keep pace.\u201d<\/p>\n About 17 per cent of Manitoba\u2019s population \u2014 229,050 people \u2014 were at least 65 years old in 2021, Statistics Canada found.<\/p>\n The WRHA has a health-care aide vacancy rate of 9.2 per cent. It\u2019s dropped from roughly 13 per cent in October 2025, Sime said.<\/p>\n It seems the provincial government and post-secondary institutions are trying to fill health care labour gaps, noted Christine Kelly, a University of Manitoba community and global health professor.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cThere\u2019s an openness to solutions, but it\u2019s just like trying to tread water in a really difficult context,\u201d Kelly said, adding there are vacancies across the health sector.<\/p>\n Ideally, clients would be assessed for home care in a week. While waiting, they might stay in hospital or depend on unpaid caregivers such as family and friends, Kelly said.<\/p>\n Noah Schulz, provincial director of the Manitoba Health Coalition, expects a \u201cwaiting game\u201d to build up necessary health-care staff. Manitoba\u2019s 2026-27 budget will help, but change doesn\u2019t happen overnight, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think of home care as a real linchpin for the health-care system,\u201d Shultz said, adding it prevents stays in hospitals and personal care homes.<\/p>\n gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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