Lake 88: No response from province on need of developmentally disabled

Written by Ian Sutton
Monday, 27 June 2011
Not much hope appears on the horizon for families in Lanark County caring for growing lists of children and adults with developmental disabilities.Families say the need for services is at an all-time high, but there’s no sign of it being met by the province.David Hagerman, executive director of Tayside Community Residential services in Perth, says a “modest” funding increase announced by Social  Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur may help provide special services at home or in care facilities for fewer than a quarter of the 427 area  people now on waiting lists.

Aging family care providers, he adds, say they’re on “a death watch” waiting for vacancies to open up in residential facilities. Ministry planners, he says, appear to believe waiting for people to die is the answer to growing waiting lists.

Family members want the province to recognize their needs and meet with them to discuss the crisis. But Hagerman says there’s been no response from the province on their call for help.

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