Government funding not keeping pace with demand
for Community Care Durham services
WHITBY – Results from Community Care Durham’s (CCD) second annual Client and Caregiver Satisfaction Survey reinforce the importance people place on aging well and independently at home.
Ninety-two per cent of the more than 750 CCD clients and caregivers who participated in the survey indicated their overall satisfaction with the services they received, something CEO James Meloche was happy to see.
“Our mission is Supporting People, Strengthening Community so to see the overall satisfaction number shows us we are doing a good job. It’s something to be proud of as an organization,” he said.
Provincial and Federal opinion polls have shown that almost all Ontarians want to age in place. A strong community support services sector is the bedrock not only to help Ontarians realize this goal but is an essential foundation to a sustainable and high performing health system. To that end, 91% of survey respondents reported that CCD’s services assisted them in maintaining their independence, showing the vital role that community support services play in helping people live at home.
Unfortunately, government funding is not keeping pace with the demand for the services that are essential to our citizens’ independence, Meloche explained.
“It’s more affordable to help a client live optimally at home than to have their condition deteriorate, forcing them to seek help in the hospital or in a long-term care home,” he said.
Meloche was also happy to see that 97% of respondents of the survey indicated they experienced respect and caring from CCD staff. “Our staff and volunteers are all caring and want to help others. It’s why they do this type of work and why the survey results are so positive,” he said.
While the scores in CCD’s second survey dropped slightly from the first year, it is difficult to ascertain if that was due to the impacts of managing services during a pandemic – including staffing challenges, service disruptions, and increased safety measures. Jennifer Rusaw, CCD’s Vice President, Client Services said even as a long-standing non-profit, CCD is absolutely committed to enhancing the client experience and quality of our service.
“We believe in our people and our volunteers to deliver an exceptional community service that never stops being responsive to people’s needs and innovating for the future,” she said. “As a result, we have identified areas for improvement, such as making it easier for clients to access our services.”
For the first time in the survey, respondents were asked to self-identify their gender, age, and race. As an organization, CCD is committed to cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion, and wanted to compare the results of each group.
“As this is our first data, it’s difficult to draw any conclusions on some of the minor differences,” Meloche said. “However, we are committed to collecting and acting on this data.”
To see the full survey, click here.