Personal Care Homes

A Personal Care Home (PCH) provides 24 hour nursing and personal care for individuals who can no longer manage independently at home with family support and/or other community services such as Home Care.

All personal care homes in PMH are licensed and regulated by Manitoba Health to ensure the appropriate standards of care are maintained.

• planning a move to a PCH
• resident & family handbook – English | French

Personal Care Homes offer the following services:

Staff may include nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, health care aides, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech language pathology, rehabilitation aides, recreation staff, social workers, mental health resource nurse, spiritual/pastoral care staff, dietitians, and pharmacists.

Not all staff may be on site in all facilities. Other staff may be available for consultation as the need arises.

Other services such as hairdressing, foot care, etc. may be be available at some PCH’s for a fee.

Medical Care

Every resident has medical care provided by a physician and/or a nurse practitioner (NP). There is access by telephone to advice from a physician for every PCH 24 hours a day, 365 days/year. Most providers see their residents as needed when they are making their regular visits to the PCH (weekly to monthly).

If you or your family have questions for your medical provider, please discuss these with the nurse and they can be brought to the attention of your provider on their next visit to the Home. If it is urgent, the nurse may reach the provider by phone.

PCH Costs

Residential Charges

All residents of PCHs in Manitoba are required to pay a daily charge (collect monthly), which is set by Manitoba Health. The daily residential charge is determined by an assessment of the annual income of each resident and is re-evaluated by Manitoba Health annually in August.

To calculate the residential charges, please visit the Manitoba Health website.

Applicants admitted to hospital begin paying the residential charge once their application has been approved to the wait list. All individuals waiting placement in hospital must move to the first available appropriate PCH bed in or as close to their home community as possible.

Applicants waiting in the community for a PCH bed begin paying the residential charge on the day they are admitted to any PCH.

Other Charges

There are some charges over and above the residential fee that are the responsibility of the resident. Please click here.

Intercultural Resource Coordinators

Intercultural Resource Coordinators are staff members who support long-term care residents and staff collaboration by fostering dignity, respect, empathy, intercultural safety, and belonging within our personal care homes. They achieve this by offering inclusive activities, intercultural education, and ongoing learning. All residents can be referred to us by having a health care provider submit an intercultural resource coordinator referral form.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I get into a PCH?

In order to determine if Personal Care Home is an appropriate option, contact your local Home Care Coordinator who will visit you to help determine your need.

The Home Care Coordinator has information to share with you regarding Personal Care Homes and other options in your community. The Home Care Coordinator is also the professional that can help with making application to Personal Care Home when you require this level of care. They will explain the process for getting onto a wait list for PCH, discuss how that wait list is managed, and share other information as relevant.

A list of Home Care Coordinator offices in PMH is available by clicking here.

Can a Personal Care Home refuse an individual’s application?

Yes. A PCH may decline an individual’s application if the Home cannot meet the individual’s care needs safely. Any PCH that declines an application must provide reasons in writing to the Panel Chair (the Home Care Manager for the designated area). This will be carefully reviewed by the Panel Chair before a letter is sent to the individual/family to notify them of this.

What are my options if my application is denied?

If your application is denied for Personal Care Home for any reason, the Home Care Coordinator will discuss that decision with you and assist you with considering other options. The decision can be appealed by writing to the Manitoba Health Appeal Board.

How are Wait Lists Managed?

Generally, individuals are admitted to PCH based on the date they were paneled (placed on the wait list). Exceptions to this may occur when:

• Acute care facilities in the area are full and there is a need to move individuals waiting placement in hospital
• There are vacancies in the number of spaces in PCH that are to be designated for veterans and there is a veteran on the wait list
• There are individuals in the community where maximum community resources from Home Care are not able to support their needs safely.
• The available bed is not appropriate for the next applicant on the list (e.g. gender specific room, other resident safety concerns, etc)

If you have any questions about the wait list, please contact your Home Care Case Coordinator.

Where do I stay while waiting to get into my choice Personal Care Home?

Most individuals can be supported at home, while waiting to move into a PCH, in the care of family and Home Care. If that is not possible, and you are having trouble managing at home, you may be required to wait for your first choice home in a different facility within Prairie Mountain Health. This is called ‘interim’ placement.

You will begin to pay the charges for personal care, effective your panel date, when waiting in a Prairie Mountain Health facility. Your application remains on the list(s) for your choice of personal care home(s).