Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to talk about a subject that I've touched on many times in this House, homecare in the NWT.
Our current situation in the communities, Mr. Speaker, is that seniors, once unable to continue living independently, are moved into long-term care facilities. It is my opinion and the opinion of many people that the vast majority of elders do not want to be in long-term care. Long-term care is costing the GNWT about $140,000 per year, per patient. So if an elderly couple was to be forced into long-term care, it would cost the GNWT $280,000 per year. However, if the Housing Corporation was to retrofit their home for $100,000 into a barrier-free unit and HSS was to provide full homecare in their home, it would cost about another $30,000 per senior. There are economies of scale, Mr. Speaker. Each homecare worker will have numerous clients, and each client will have various workers.
Mr. Speaker, allowing seniors to age in place is essential for our history, heritage, and languages. The benefits include employment positions in homecare in our communities. Some further benefits are higher graduation rates, as families with higher incomes are healthier and their kids are more likely to attend school. Another benefit would include house construction jobs.
Mr. Speaker, getting back to homecare and looking at the whole of the NWT, the Department of Health and Social Services has completed a survey on long-term care. The survey found that, over the next few years, long-term care needs will be 258 beds. It's mind-boggling to think about the cost of constructing and maintaining these facilities. If the government was to help some of the seniors to remain in their homes for an extra 10 years, they would spend a lot less money, including in Yellowknife, by creating good jobs and having much happier seniors. If successful 40 percent of the time, the GNWT would defer spending $140 million.
Mr. Speaker, I have completed a quick scan in Fort Resolution, and I believe that there are about 40 seniors over the age of 70. If we were to provide the supports that I speak of today, HSS would defer expenditures of $28 million. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.