Our philosophy is that home is best, as most people wish to remain in their own home for as long as possible. We are committed to quality of life by supporting independence, health, and wellness through the delivery of person and family-centered care.
For general information on home support services:
Home Support Pamphlet.
Home support is care at home to help you remain independent and enhance quality of life. Our services supplement how you care for yourself, in addition to supports provided by your family, friends, community, or other available services.
Our services are personal support services provided by community health workers (CHWs) to clients who require assistance with daily living activities such as:
Bathing, dressing and toileting
Helping you move around or get in and out of bed safely
Heating and serving meals
Providing a break for your caregiver
Helping you take your medication
Examples of services that home support does not provide include:
Extensive cleaning and cooking
Banking, handling your money, and financial transactions
Errands, personal shopping, and driving to appointments
Yard work, home maintenance
Companionship, child care, and pet care
Services that involve heavy lifting or climbing
CSIL is a care option that provides more flexibility than traditional home support and also puts greater responsibility on you since you become the employer and manager of your home support services. As a CSIL employer, you receive money from VCH to hire, manage, and pay your own home support staff.
Read our
CSIL Handbook for more information.
You may be eligible to apply for the CSIL program if you:
Can safely manage and coordinate all aspects of your care, including administrative responsibilities. If you need help, you can have a legal representative or client support group apply to be the CSIL employer on your behalf;
Have been assessed as requiring home support services as part of your care plan;
Have assessed needs that can be met within CSIL, within available resources;
Have been assessed as meeting the criteria for CSIL, which includes having high physical care needs; and
Have agreed to pay the assessed client rate (if any).
To find out more about the CSIL program, your eligibility for CSIL, and whether it might be a good fit, contact your home and community care (home health) case manager or contact the access line for your area listed below.
Although these are government-subsidized services, you may need to pay for some of the cost. This cost is calculated based on your income and is guided by Ministry of Health policy. For information on how the cost is calculated, visit gov.bc.ca (search ‘Home Support’). If your health condition is due to an illness or injury for which a third party (e.g., ICBC, WorkSafe BC) is responsible, you will need to contact that third party about services offered. For more information, talk to your VCH clinician or visit our
costs for home and community care page.
We are committed to supporting your independence, health, and wellness through the delivery of VCH home support services. Your feedback is highly valued. If you have questions or concerns about your care, staff boundaries or conduct, please talk about it with the person who cared for you or that person’s supervisor or manager. It is best to talk about your concerns at the time and place they happen.
If you are not satisfied with how your concerns were handled, you can talk to the Patient Care Quality Office (PCQO).