New Brunswick increasing income threshold for home care services

For the first time in 30 years, New Brunswick is allowing more seniors access to subsidized home care.

The New Brunswick government is increasing the income threshold for seniors or people with disabilities who need home care support by 10 per cent.

It’s the first time in nearly three decades the province has made an adjustment to the income thresholds, which subsidize home care service costs depending on the individual’s income.

For singles, the threshold will increase to $27,500. It will be $38,500 for couples and $55,000 for couples with a dependent.

The change will be applied as of Jan. 1, 2026.

Tina Learmonth, president of the New Brunswick Home Support Association, says it’s a step in the right direction.

“We’re certainly not finished. Home care, in order for it to work for seniors, needs to be affordable and accessible,” she said. “And by increasing the income threshold for both singles and for couples will allow more seniors who maybe didn’t see home care as a viable option to now be able to partake in subsidized care.”

The province says more people will be able to access the support programs now, although didn’t give an estimate on how many.

It will also affect how much about 2,100 existing clients are currently paying.

“We are approaching 25 per cent of our population in New Brunswick being seniors, you know, in the next several years, 10 or 15 years, I don’t have the exact number, but the number of 75-year-olds we have in New Brunswick is going to double,” she said. “So we need more money, we need more investment, but you have to start somewhere.”

The minister responsible for seniors, Lyne Chantal Boudreau, also said it’s a start – and didn’t rule out future increases.

“If for seniors, they want to stay at home, we have to make sure we put some resources for them, in their environment, to make sure their environment is safe for them,” she said.

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