$250 increase to grant for low-income N.S. seniors will make a 'huge difference,' says national group

Nova Scotia has increased its annual grant for low-income seniors to $750 to help them stay in their own homes longer in the face of lengthy waits to get into nursing homes.

The grant is available to people aged 65 and older, who still live in their own home or rent a home, and have an annual household income of $37,500 or less.

It is expected to offset some of the costs incurred by low-income seniors, including some medical expenses, snow removal, small household repairs, grocery delivery and transportation to appointments. This is the first year the grant can also be used for home heating costs.

"We're simultaneously building more single-room nursing home beds, but we also know that everyone would prefer to stay home and we want to support that to the best of our ability," Barbara Adams, minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, said in an interview with CBC Radio's Mainstreet Halifax on Thursday.

"Having done home care for 10 years, I know exactly how much more people would prefer to stay there until such time that they just can't manage."

The seniors care grant program was first announced in 2021, offering $500 in its first two years. It had modest uptake in its first few months.

Bill VanGorder, the Halifax-based senior spokesperson of CARP, formerly known as the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, said he expects more people will access the grant with the increase this year.

He called the increase wonderful and said it will make a "huge difference" for seniors living independently at home.

"We're told by older Nova Scotians that it's difficult to get any outside service in the house that's going to cost less than $500, and $750 puts doing some of these things into a range that they're able to afford them," VanGorder said Thursday.

He said programs such as this will save the province money because some seniors will be able to avoid going into long-care facilities, where costs to the province are much higher. 

Applications for the grant open on Friday, and can be submitted online. For more information, people can call 1-800-670-4357 or reach out by email. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2024.

Those who applied for the grant between Dec. 1, 2021 and May 31, 2023, can still apply for the new grant.