What AHS Home Care May Cover in Alberta

When a parent, spouse, or loved one begins needing support at home, families often ask a very practical question:

In Alberta, home and community care services may be arranged after a person’s unmet health and personal care needs are assessed. Some health and personal care services may be publicly funded through Alberta’s home and community care system. Other supports may need to be provided by family, community resources, private services, another program, or a different care setting.

This guide explains the common types of support families may hear about, the questions to ask, and the limits to confirm before making decisions.

The short answer

AHS home and community care may include publicly funded health and personal care services arranged after assessment by an AHS case manager or health professional.

The type of support, number of visits, care plan, and service pathway depend on the person’s assessed unmet needs, safety, available family or community support, service availability, program rules, and current Alberta continuing care direction.

AHS home care should not be understood as a blanket promise that every kind of help at home will be provided. It is intended to help people remain well, safe, and independent at home, while supplementing support from family, friends, and the community.

Families should ask AHS what is included in the care plan, what is not included, what costs may remain the family’s responsibility, and what options exist if the arranged support does not meet every need.

What publicly funded home care may include

Depending on assessment and care planning, publicly funded home and community care may include professional health services, personal care services, caregiver support, respite, and other supports.

Examples may include:

• assessment of health status or medical conditions
• treatment or procedures arranged through the care team
• rehabilitation to help maximize function
• medication administration or medication assistance
• palliative or end-of-life care
• teaching and support for self-care
• teaching family members or caregivers how to assist safely
• bathing, grooming, dressing, toileting, or incontinence support
• mobility, transferring, dining, oral care, or related personal care tasks
• caregiver support or respite, when assessed and arranged

This does not mean every person receives every service. Families should ask which specific services have been approved in their situation.

What AHS home care is meant to do

AHS describes home and community care as support that helps people remain well, safe, and independent in their homes for as long as possible.

It may be short-term, such as support after an illness, injury, surgery, or hospital stay. It may also be longer-term when needs are related to disease, disability, aging, or ongoing care needs.

Home and community care is also intended to supplement, not replace, help from family, friends, and community supports.

That distinction is important. Families may still need to plan for help that falls outside the assessed care plan.

What families should not assume is fully included

Families should avoid assuming that every kind of help at home will be included through publicly funded services.

Some supports families want may or may not be part of the assessed publicly funded care plan. Others may need to be arranged privately, through family support, community programs, volunteer support, private insurance, or another pathway.

Families should ask AHS directly about supports such as:

• companionship or social visits
• extended supervision
• overnight support
• transportation to appointments or errands
• grocery shopping
• meal preparation beyond what is approved
• housekeeping or laundry beyond what is connected to assessed care needs
• yard work or home maintenance
• the amount, timing, or type of caregiver respite available
• dementia-related supervision or safety support
• whether and how language, modesty, prayer, halal food, or culturally familiar preferences can be noted, discussed, or accommodated

Some of these supports may be addressed in certain ways depending on assessment, program pathway, and available services. Others may fall outside the public care plan.

Costs families may still be responsible for

Even when a person receives publicly funded home and community care, families may still have costs to confirm.

Alberta says health and personal care services provided through home and community care are publicly funded. At the same time, families may still be responsible for some costs, such as:

• medications
• supplemental nutritional products
• long-term personal medical supplies and equipment
• daily fees for some day programs
• privately arranged services
• support outside the assessed public care plan

Families should also ask whether Alberta Aids to Daily Living, private insurance, seniors financial assistance, veterans benefits, or other programs may help with some costs. These programs have their own rules and should be confirmed directly with official sources.

How someone accesses AHS home care

Families can call Health Link at 811 to ask about arranging an assessment for home and community care.

Alberta says no referral is necessary. A family member, friend, neighbour, or health professional may also be able to call on behalf of someone who cannot call themselves.

During the assessment process, an AHS health professional or case manager may look at the person’s unmet health and personal care needs, safety at home, available family or community support, and what services may be appropriate.

The result may be a home and community care plan, a referral to other community supports, discussion of public and private options, or a recommendation that another care setting may be needed if needs cannot be safely met at home.

Why families still look at private options

Some families receive AHS-assessed home care and still look for private or community support.

This does not necessarily mean the public system has failed. It often means the family’s full situation includes needs that are broader than the assessed public care plan.

Families may look for private or additional support when:

• they are waiting for assessment or service start
• they want longer visits or more flexible timing
• they need companionship or check-ins
• they need help with errands, transportation, meals, or household tasks
• they want more continuity in who visits
• they need support during evenings, weekends, or overnight
• they need culturally or faith-aware support
• caregivers in the family are exhausted and need relief
• the person needs supervision beyond what is arranged through public services

AHS says it is possible to combine publicly funded and private services. Families should ask the case manager what is approved, what gaps remain, and what options may be appropriate.

CDHCI and Self-Managed Care

Some families may hear about Client Directed Home Care Invoicing, often called CDHCI, and Self-Managed Care.

These are not automatic options for everyone. Families should confirm whether either pathway is suitable directly with AHS.

CDHCI

AHS describes CDHCI as an option for AHS Home and Community Care clients to manage their own care. Under this model, clients may be able to choose a home care agency registered with Alberta Blue Cross.

The agency may provide services up to the maximum number of pre-approved hours per month authorized by AHS and submit claims through the CDHCI process.

Families should confirm:

• whether an AHS assessment has been completed
• whether CDHCI is suitable for the person’s situation
• which services and hours are approved
• which agency is registered with Alberta Blue Cross
• what AHS-authorized hours and maximum hourly rate apply
• whether the family may be responsible for costs above AHS-authorized hours, the AHS maximum hourly rate, provider minimums, or services outside the approved care plan
• what responsibilities the client or CDHCI manager carries

Self-Managed Care

AHS describes Self-Managed Care as an alternate method of service provision. It provides resources to directly pay for and manage personal care and home care support services under an agreement with AHS.

This model may offer more control, but it also carries significant responsibility. AHS information says the person managing Self-Managed Care may need to recruit, interview, hire, train, supervise, schedule, manage payroll, submit reports to AHS, meet CRA requirements, and meet Alberta employment standards.

Families should confirm current program rules directly with AHS before assuming this option is suitable.

AHS information also states that family members, friends, and informal caregivers are not allowed to be hired as paid care providers under Self-Managed Care.

Common questions families ask

Questions to ask the AHS case manager

Families may want to ask:

• What services are included in the assessed care plan?
• How many visits or hours are arranged?
• Which tasks are included?
• Which tasks are not included?
• Are any costs, supplies, equipment, medications, or day program fees the family’s responsibility?
• What should we do if the person’s needs change?
• Can we request reassessment if the current support is not enough?
• Are CDHCI or Self-Managed Care suitable in this situation?
• Are there respite options for family caregivers?
• Are there community resources we should contact?
• What signs would suggest home may no longer be the safest care setting?
• Who should we call after hours or in an urgent situation?
• What should we do in an emergency?

A gentle next step

If your family is trying to understand what AHS home care may cover, start by writing down what kind of help your loved one needs.

For example:

• help bathing safely
• help taking medications correctly
• help getting in and out of bed
• wound care or nursing support
• support after hospital discharge
• caregiver respite
• supervision because the person cannot safely be alone
• help with meals, errands, or companionship
• culturally familiar or faith-aware support

Then ask AHS which parts may be included in the assessed care plan, which parts may need to be arranged another way, and what options exist if the family cannot manage the gaps alone.

The goal is not to know every program perfectly. The goal is to ask clear questions and avoid assuming that everything — or nothing — is included.

Ihsan Circle’s role is to help families understand the landscape, ask better questions, and take grounded next steps. Ihsan Circle does not determine eligibility, approve funding, provide regulated home care, complete clinical assessments, arrange emergency support, or replace AHS, Assisted Living Alberta, Alberta Blue Cross, licensed care providers, insurers, or qualified professionals.