Each week we will post a summary of interesting and representative 211 calls. This week, we have connections from New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.

New Brunswick:

Sometimes having even a minimal amount of home support can make the difference between someone living comfortably in their own home and having to be admitted into long term care. 211 Service Navigators can help older adults find the support they need to continue living in their own homes.

An older adult who needed some help at home called 211. She explained to the Service Navigator that she was living on her own and was in need of help to take her garbage can to the curb due to a mobility disability. The Service Navigator asked about home support and the caller said that no home health services were being provided to her at the time of the call. Her neighbours and friends had not offered to help, and her adult child lived too far away to help her at home with her daily needs. The caller was unclear why Personal Support Worker (PSW) services were no longer being offered to her.

The Service Navigator discussed possible services with the caller. Together, they found two services that suited the caller’s needs. She will be matched with a volunteer that can come once a week to help with the garbage and other basic household chores. Additionally, the Service Navigator found an agency to coordinate a PSW coming in to check on the caller and help with home/health support as she lives alone. The caller was grateful for the ideas and information, and the Service Navigator urged her to call again if she needed more help.

Newfoundland and Labrador:

Even when a caller has a very clear need, it may sometimes still be difficult to find a place to help. 211 Service Navigators are resourceful, and will always work with callers to come up with options and plans to try to satisfy their needs.

A grandmother in St John’s contacted 211 searching for ideas. She was a grandmother who had guardianship of her young grandchildren. They were receiving Income Support. The washing machine had broken and they were in need of a washing machine to keep the children’s clothes clean.

The caller had tried most of the resources and so had the social worker who had been trying to assist them. The caller had reached out to 211 because she did not know what else to try. She told the Service Navigator: “I’ve tried everywhere and no one can help us.”

The Service Navigator and the caller brainstormed together for possible options, and the Service Navigator took note of what had already been tried, so that she did not frustrate the caller. The Service Navigator was then able to provide two referrals to programs that might be able to assist. The 211 Service Navigator was concerned that the caller would get the help that she needed and she also wanted to ensure that the caller had no new needs, so a follow-up was scheduled.