One has to wonder, though, why people even bother getting married in today’s society. It seems like every time I turn around, someone I know has decided to shed the bonds of matrimony. It’s almost embarrassing how many times I have asked someone I haven’t seen in a while how their significant other is only to be told, “Oh didn’t you hear? We split up.” Celebrities seem to marry and divorce faster than we can say “I don’t”, but what’s really jarring is when someone like country star Reba McEntire and her husband call it quits after 26 years . Even Hollywood’s newest Batman isn’t immune, as Ben Affleck separated from his wife of 10 years just a few weeks ago. If these stars can’t make it work with all the money and fame in the world, what’s the hope for the average Jane and Joe?
Against all odds, though, some people do make marriage work. They fight through adversity, operate as a team, and stand beside each other through thick and thin. They take ‘until death do us part’ seriously, and offer some hope for those who still believe that matrimony can endure. Some people just won’t give up. As someone approaching my ten year anniversary with my wife, these folks inspire me.
Maybe that’s why I’m so upset with what’s happening in New Brunswick right now with some senior couples being forced to consider divorcing their spouse because of mounting bills from nursing home care. For some, it all boils down to the decision of paying the increasing costs of having your partner in a care facility or having the finances to live independently and be able to pay for things like food and shelter. As insane as this situation sounds, it’s a harsh reality right now in this province for many couples.
In New Brunswick, a married couple’s net income is factored into the equation when determining nursing home rates. It would seem like a reasonable situation if everyone with a spouse in nursing home care was financially well-off and could easily pay whatever their portion is of the monthly fee that is decided. That’s a perfect world scenario, however, and not a real world one. The fact of the matter is that there are thousands of New Brunswick natives who are scraping by at or slightly above the poverty line and some seniors who are living on a meagre pension they have paid into and earned from their decades of working in this province.
What is happening as of late is that some nursing home rates have inexplicably raised– as much as $700 per month in the recent case of an Oromocto gentleman who has been married to his wife for 52 years – and the increased cost is simply too much for people to absorb when they are living on a fixed income. How does one reconcile the situation in their head that if they continue to subsidize the cost of their spouse’s continued care, they may not be able to support themselves?
Have no fear, though. The provincial government has stated that people in this situation can qualify for a ‘temporary contribution adjustment’ if they are experiencing undue hardship – defined as "the inability to pay for adequate food, monthly mortgage or rent, sufficient home heat, and prescribed medication and health care." Try as I might, I could find no information on how much less someone experiencing ‘undue hardship’ would be expected to pay, or how long the temporary adjustment would last for. Clear as mud, eh?
Our provincial government touts that this is a cost-saving measure for our province and how it’s a necessary evil at a time when we all need to be pulling up our socks. That’s all well and good, but when I see the mind-boggling things our provincial dollars are spent on I have a really big problem with folks who have lived, worked, and paid taxes in this province for decades being financially squashed. They’re crushed to the point where their only way out appears to be separating themselves from their life partner so that nursing home care is subsidized by the government. How is this right?
This is a very complex issue that can’t be completely broken down in the limited space I have here. Do you research and find out for yourself t is happening to some of our most vulnerable residents under the guise of fiscal responsibility. I have expressed in this column many times before that the bankruptcy of this province is a real possibility in the future if our financial course isn’t corrected. What I’m afraid of is that when situations like this one come to light, I can’t help but wonder if we’re already morally bankrupt.
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