equinoxe

Established in 1998, Equinoxe Lifecare is an ISO 9001:2015 certified Montreal based homecare management company offering high quality personalized programs addressing the physical, psychological and social needs of our client families. We are dedicated to whole person care, ensuring the management, coordination, and provision of quality care services across the spectrum in geriatric, chronic care, post operative and palliative care. Our team consists of skilled caregivers and care managers who function as advocates for our clients.

Equinoxe provides a vast array of services to accommodate the care needs of your loved ones:

• We offer our proprietary Care Management services through a holistic approach to clients’ individual needs and with the latest health and government information we can help our clients navigate through the healthcare system
• Personal care: meal preparation, assistance in daily living (personal hygiene, dressing, grooming), medication reminders and management, light housekeeping and cooking, companionship, assisting clients with prescribed exercises
• Post-operative care: post-hospital wound hygiene, physiotherapy, osteotherapy, occupational and massage therapy
• Mental Health support: experienced caregivers trained to handle clients with mild cognitive impairment as well as other neurological degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Depression and Cancer care
• We provide specialized Palliative care with experienced staff, coordination with CLSC palliative care teams in Quebec and following hospital directives

ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization which tests for quality standards and management in specific industries. We have been certified with ISO 2009 -2015 annually since 2015. We hire caregivers who are professional, skilled and as accredited educators (through SOFEDUC), we offer them additional training as part of their career with us.

We hire certified caregivers, Registered Nurse and Registered Nurse Assistant. They go through stringent onboarding processes (background checks, police checks, interviews and orientations). The caregivers we hire come from healthcare backgrounds and/or have followed the Quebec training programs. The care coordinators also brief caregivers on new client files by phone, email, and our customized application. This ensures that when the caregiver starts with a client, they are informed with as much information as possible about the client’s condition.

We offer individualized Care Management Services, which include the planning, scheduling, coordination, and supervision of home care services. We want to ensure that our clients and client families feel at ease and that we have taken the effort out of logistical and complex coordination, thereby providing peace of mind for the family.

Most seniors prefer to age in place. We ensure that after evaluating a client’s needs and developing the care plan in conjunction with doctor requirements, hospital discharge plans and coordinating with CLSC involvement, we are able to provide support by combining high quality personal care combined with proprietary technology.

Reviewing your options would be a great place to start and our Care team would love to speak with you about that. You can call us at 1 877 935 2600, message us at info@equinoxe.ca or chat with one of our team members directly from this website. We always make sure to take time to assess the services required for the client. Our free evaluations and assessments or our home on-site assessments help both the client and their family understand the support we are able to give. Our solutions are customized to accommodate the needs of your loved one.

While many of our clients tend to be older adults, we handle clients of all ages, whether they are suffering from a chronic condition, were recently admitted to the hospital and need post-surgery care, or have a cognitive impairment that requires mental health support.

We can provide services whether our client lives at home, in residential care, or even during a stay at the hospital. We will be offering our services where they are needed.

We have caregivers and nurses in Westmount, Montreal, West Island, South Shore, and Laval. We will be more than happy to inform you if we have a caregiver available in your area as we are currently expanding our reach throughout Quebec. Please call us at 1 877 935 2600.

Yes, and our objective is precisely to create a long-term caregiving relationship. We believe that a good connection and bond with the caregiver will improve the home care experience. If your loved one needs extra hours or more days of care throughout the week, it might be best to have 2 or 3 caregivers to satisfy this requirement. Each caregiver will be much more alert during their shifts to keep your loved one happy and content.

We always strive to send the best possible caregiver. However, sometimes the chemistry is not there and our Care Managers will undertake to change caregivers until we find someone who fits the role.

We understand that the care situation can change or fluctuate very quickly. Therefore, we are flexible based on your loved one's needs. You are never locked into a long- or short-term contract with Equinoxe Lifecare and you can discontinue services at any time.

In most cases, we can provide a caregiver on short notice. It will depend on the availability of the caregivers and how far they are from the clients. Sometimes, it takes about 2-3 days to match a caregiver with a client. However, we always do our best to meet your requests as fast as possible.

Our caregivers take time to travel and want to make sure they have enough time to work with our client. Caregivers will require time to complete all their tasks prescribed for each visit. Because we want to do an exemplary job, we require a minimum of 4 hours per shift.

Equinoxe LifeCare hire caregivers from different ethnic backgrounds which is a great asset to our team. We will always do our best to meet your requirements. Many of our caregivers speak French, Spanish, Greek, Farsi and more.

Our policy is not to let our caregivers drive for safety, insurance issues and also going to a doctor or hospital, you cannot leave a sick or elderly client. However, they can do errands and accompany clients.

Rewording: Our policy is not to let our caregivers drive for safety and insurance issues. Also, going to a doctor or hospital, you cannot leave a sick or elderly client. Therefore, our caregivers can accompany our clients (run errands, go shopping, go to events) as long as they are not the ones driving.

Should your caregiver get sick, we can cancel the shift and/or undertake to find a replacement from our team of caregivers.

Our coordinators are available during regular office hours by phone, e-mail or chat. We offer after hours on-call assistance 24/7 (evenings, week-ends and statutory holidays) with a human voice.

The easiest way to pay us is through pre-authorized payments, which are automatically debited from your bank account. We also accept payments by credit card, although a convenience fee is applied. Alternatively, you can make a payment through your financial institution. Please contact our billing team at the following e-mail: accounting@equinoxe.ca.

Each care plan is personalized to suit your care. Rates differ based on the type of needs required and the city where you’re located. Please call us at 1 877 935 2600 to determine your care, and our Care Managers will confirm an applicable rate based on a initial assessment of the client’s needs. If the case becomes more complex, Equinoxe Lifecare will reassess the rate and level of service.

Based on some conditions, health care services are tax deductible:

• In Quebec: Independent Living Tax Credit for Seniors (more information on: https://www.revenuquebec.ca/en/citizens/tax-credits/independent-living-tax-credit-for-seniors/).
• At a Federal level: Attendant care and care in a facility program (more information on: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/deductions-credits-expenses/lines-33099-33199-eligible-medical-expenses-you-claim-on-your-tax-return/attendant-care-care-a-facility.html

In addition, there are different insurance policies in the market to cover home care services. You can discuss this in more details with your tax advisor. Please do not hesitate to contact our Care Management team for any questions you may have.