CASINO FUNDS HELP SUPPORTED LIVING PROGRAMS

The Five Hills Health Authority in Moose Jaw and surrounding area today received a $5,000 grant from the Community Initiatives Fund (CIF) to research supported living programs for people with an acquired brain injury.

"For many families, coping with acquired brain injury is difficult over the long term," Labour Minister Deb Higgins said on behalf of Culture, Youth and Recreation Minister Joanne Crofford.
"This research will help to improve the quality of life for people with an acquired brain injury."

Currently, there are a number of people in the Five Hills Health Authority with an acquired brain injury who are incapable of coping with daily living without some professional assistance. These patients often do not qualify for existing long-term care programs, such as mental health care and community living care. This problem is compounded because as the patients grow older and become adults, their parents are also aging and are unable to provide the kind of support they used to provide to their disabled children.

The research will define gaps in the existing program criteria so that these programs can be better utilized to provide the support needed by people with an acquired brain injury. Supported living allows for greater independence in a home-like environment and stems from the ideology that the patient's needs are based on individual strengths and preferences, and they have a right to live in their homes and stay connected to families and communities of origin.

The provincial government established the CIF, formerly known as the Associated Entities Fund, in 1997. Since then, it has provided grants of more than $11.5 million to 1,900 groups throughout the province.

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For More Information, Contact:

Sandhya Padmanabh Culture, Youth and Recreation Regina Phone: 306-7874967