Home care | A little help, a lot of good

Every Thursday, a foreign student crosses Montreal to take care of an old man whom he did not know six months ago.

The student is Emmanuel Betema. He is 26 years old. He comes from Togo. He arrived in Quebec in August 2024 with a study permit, registration for master’s degree … and $ 25,000 in tuition fees per year.

The old man is Ruffin Isaya. He is 94 years old. It comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He lives at the bottom of his duplex in the Ville-Émard district, between Verdun and LaSalle. He has a sarcoma (a malignant tumor in the back), chronic pain. “But the head is fine,” he says.

Since January, Emmanuel Betema has spent three hours a week at his home as an attendant to the beneficiaries. He gives her a shower, prepares her tea, chats, goes out when the back allows it. Sometimes it happens earlier, cleanses a little, ensures that everything is in order. He calls it “dad”.

For years, in Quebec, we have heard of the importance of promoting home support for seniors. But on the ground? Local caregivers are often out of breath. The public network cannot afford everything. And the resources are limited.

A report by the Commissioner for Health and Social Services revealed last year that Quebec only met 10.7 % of the needs, in hours, of home care.

A community response

This is where nova care at home. This community organization acts in complementarity with the CLSC. It offers two types of services: respite for caregivers and palliative care at home.

His team of 34 people brings together social workers, nurses, attendants to beneficiaries and massage therapists.

All services are free, thanks to a hybrid model combining private donations and public funding granted for two years. In Montreal, there are only two organizations to offer this type of service: Nova, in the West, and the Palliative Care Society of Greater Montreal in the East.

In December, Emmanuel Betema joined the Nova team. Nurse by training, he worked for four years in Togo before coming to Quebec to undertake a master’s degree in public health at the University of Montreal.

What he shares with Mr. Isaya, he says, goes far beyond care.

“A natural connection has set up between us,” he explains, evoking the common African roots, shared cultural landmarks and values such as respect for elders and solidarity. This creates a climate of confidence, almost family.

Mr. Isaya confirms it: “He does his job well, yes, yes. But listening to it longer, we understand that it is not only a matter of hygiene or assistance. It is a matter of dignity.

His daughter, Myriam, also sees it. She lives upstairs with her husband and their three sons. She is on -board agent. Her husband has long been the main caregiver.

“Emmanuel has integrated naturally,” she says. It is as if he was part of the family. »»

A model that works

Anne-Sophie Schlader, Director General of Nova, says it clearly: this model works.

“For us, it is important to go further than what the system can offer, because it is understood that it is not enough to keep people at home and avoid hospitalization. »»

Thanks to the collaboration with the CLSC, she says, “we manage to keep people at home until the end in about 60 % of cases. It is seven times better than everywhere in Quebec ”.

And Mr. Isaya, how does he see the future? He doesn’t want to know anything to go to a residence for the elderly.

“I will go when I will not be able to move. Not before. »»

He is well at his home, surrounded, in his house of town-Émard where he has his bearings.

“I am targeting 100 years,” he adds with a smile. “But exceeding 100 years is also an option …”