Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question asked by Mr. Braden on March 13, 2007, regarding care for Alzheimer's and dementias.
- Individuals with dementia are residents in all regions of the Northwest Territories. As a result, all seven of the regional health and social services authorities are required to provide services for clients with this illness.
- In 2002, the Department of Health and Social Services contracted with KPMG Consulting to complete a review of the NWT's current and future need for long-term care services. The KPMG study identified that 110 of the total recommended 159 long-term care beds would be required for individuals with a cognitive impairment including dementias by 2012. If this percentage were applied to the revised estimates of long-term care beds in the report ISDM: A New Direction, February 2005, the clients with cognitive impairments would require approximately 152 of the 220 beds recommended by 2020.
- Care for clients with dementia is available within the Northwest Territories. The department is in the process of renovating four long-term care residents with dementia. Staff members in Northwest Territories long-term care facilities have received training to work effectively with clients with dementia.
If a family chooses to send a family member with dementia to a southern facility, the family would be responsible for their choice of facility, care provided at the facility, and financial arrangements. The department does not send individuals with dementia to southern facilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.