(LifeSiteNews) — A Canadian pro-life organization led by a former LifeSiteNews development staffer has released a practical “Long-term Homecare Planning Guide” designed to help seniors and their families keep aging loved ones living independently and safely in their own homes for as long as possible.

Life Care Network (LCN), founded and headed by CEO Lino DeFacendis, published the free resource on its website as part of its broader mission to support vulnerable seniors amid rising pressures from Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) regime.

DeFacendis, who previously worked in development for LifeSiteNews, established Life Care Network to connect seniors with vetted, pro-life personal support workers and caregivers committed to Christian moral principles and the inherent dignity of every person.

The group operates as a free referral service, identifying and screening candidates who can assist with daily needs while remaining vigilant against any suggestions of assisted suicide from medical staff, government-funded workers, or others.

Apologizing for his candor regarding the dire situation around end-of-life issues in Canada, DeFacendis told LifeSiteNews that the nation’s medical policies are inclined toward the encouragement of assisted suicide.

“It’s much more effective and less costly for our publicly funded healthcare system to just kill people,” he lamented. “That’s the solution… we can convince people to kill themselves and that’s how we’re going to solve this problem with the boomers getting older.”

Drawing from his own experience caring for his aging parents and observing concerning hospital practices, DeFacendis emphasized remaining at home as a key safeguard to such pressures and other dangers in the medical system.

“The purpose is empowering seniors to live in the comfort of their homes with dignity and quality of life,” he said during a telephone interview. “It is to empower seniors, or anyone who needs help to just live with dignity and quality of life. We’re all made in God’s image and likeness, so everybody deserves that and nobody deserves anything less.”

The newly published Long-term Homecare Planning Guide underscores that early preparation gives families far greater control as care needs grow. It combines medical planning, financial preparation, home modifications, legal documents, and reliable support networks.

“From an awareness perspective, we need to think about these questions, we need to bring it to the front of our minds,” DeFacendis said. “Let’s be real here. This is something very important that we need to proactively consider.”

The guide stresses starting before a crisis hits. Waiting until after a fall, hospitalization, or progression of dementia often severely limits options and heightens stress. Key conversations include the level of independence that matters most, acceptable forms of help, circumstances under which institutional care might be considered, which family members can realistically assist, and cultural or language preferences for caregivers.

The guide recommends reassessing the plan every six to 12 months for changes in mobility, memory, nutrition, caregiver stress, safety, or isolation. Professionals who can help include geriatricians, elder law lawyers, financial planners, occupational therapists, care coordinators, social workers, and home care agencies.

DeFacendis stressed the value of proactive honesty:

It’s one thing to kind of think about it and have discussions … and then people get upset and leave the room – saying, “It’s not my time yet” – and it’s another thing to go through a simple process like the checklist in the planning guide and start thinking about these important matters, because you’re eventually probably going to have to face such a situation. It’s coming. So you need to be honest with yourself and with your family, your dear loved ones.… It’s going to be much better and easier for us if we are proactive and do a little bit of thinking about this upfront.

We don’t need to have all the answers in place, but let’s start thinking about if and when the time comes, here’s how we would approach it, versus, “Oh, our loved one had a fall. Now they’re in hospital or they can’t walk. Now what? Oh, long-term care is now the only option.”

Let’s just be honest with ourselves. We owe it to ourselves and to our loved ones. We plan for the stupidest things. I plan to go get my oil changed because it’s not good for my car if it’s more than 5,000 miles (since the last change). And, come on people, we’re talking about ourselves and our loved ones here.

In the context of Canada’s expanding MAiD program – which has become a leading cause of death and has raised alarms about pressure on the vulnerable, including seniors and the disabled – Life Care Network’s guide and referral services offer a concrete culture-of-life alternative.

By enabling seniors to age in place with trusted support, the organization aims to preserve dignity, independence, and safety while reducing exposure to institutional settings where assisted suicide discussions can arise.

The full Long-term Homecare Planning Guide is available for free here and those who would like to make a donation to support the mission of the Life Care Network can do so at this link.

Those who desire more information may write LCN at [email protected] or dial 416-477-4028.

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