Outdated rule may force Quebec City senior to sell house for wife's care

NeilBattertonis waiting to find out if he will have to sell his house to pay for his wife's care in a public, long-term residence.

Batterton'swife,Mireille, has Alzheimer's disease.Batterton, 71, was her caregiver for nearly six years until he was diagnosed with cancer.

He was forced to enrolhis wife in a long-term care institution (known by its French acronymCHSLD) after his doctor told him he was putting his own health at risk.

"I cried for days, even weeks from when I took the decision,"Battertonsaid. "Up to the last minute, I hesitated."

But the couple doesn't qualify for financial help from the government to pay for the costs of long-term care.

AndBattertonsays he can't afford to pay for the costs on his own.

"They're forcing me to impoverishmyself," he said. "I don't have a choice."

'It doesn't make any sense'

TheBatterton'shave a combined monthlyincome of$2,000, drawn from their public security and pension plans. It costs them roughly$1,800 every month forMireille'scare in aCHSLDfacility.

In spite of their modest income, however, the couple doesn'tqualify for financial help.

That's because theprovincial public health insurance agencyRAMQstipulatesthat individuals with more than$2,500 in liquidassets are not eligiblefor financial aid to offset the costs of long-term care.

The amount was set in 1983 and hasn't changed since.

"It doesn't make any sense, because he doesn't have a large income" saidJudithGagnon, who heads theQuebec associationfor the defenseof the rights of retired and pre-retired people(AQDR).

Gagnon'sgrouphas been pushing the government to update the measure it uses to determine whether an individual qualifies for financial help.

The QuebecOmbudsman released a report in 2014 that described theRAMQ'sguidelines as lacking a consideration of the "human aspects" of placing someone in long-term care.

"There is a lot of work to do,"Gagnon said."We have to get back to 2016."

A bittersweet upside

In an effort to qualify for financial help, and be able to pay for his wife's care,Battertonhas cashed in hisRRSPs.

As he waits for a decision from theRAMQ on whether he'll get financial aid, he has been borrowing money from family members. He wonders if he will eventually have to sell his house to continue paying for his wife's care.

But he notes there is a bittersweet upside to her devastating condition.

"She doesn't understand our financial problems,"Battertonsaid. "It's better like that."