New Brunswick's system for home care and long-term care runs through two separate programmes with two separate front doors — and knowing which one you need, and who currently delivers it, saves families weeks of confusion. This guide walks through the Extra-Mural Program, Home Support Services, and nursing home placement, using only what is confirmed on official New Brunswick and federal government sources.
New Brunswick funds two distinct home-based services, and families often assume they are the same thing. They are not.
The Extra-Mural Program (EM/NB) is clinical and nursing-focused — sometimes described as the “hospital without walls.” It delivers acute, palliative, chronic, rehabilitative and supportive care in the home: nursing (including 24/7 availability), occupational therapy, physiotherapy, respiratory therapy, social work, clinical dietetics and speech-language pathology.
Home Support Services is different: it funds help with personal care (bathing, grooming, feeding), light housekeeping and meal preparation — the day-to-day tasks that keep someone safely at home but that don't require a nurse. It is administered by the Department of Social Development, not the health system, and unlike Extra-Mural care it is income-tested, not free.
A family may need one, the other, or both at the same time. It's worth requesting an assessment for each rather than assuming one covers everything.
An important correction for anyone reading older material: it is commonly assumed that Extra-Mural care is delivered separately by Horizon Health Network in English-majority areas and Vitalité Health Network in French-majority areas, mirroring how hospitals are organised. That split no longer applies to how the programme is run. Since January 1, 2017, management of the Extra-Mural Program was transferred to Medavie Health Services New Brunswick, and it now operates province-wide as part of EM/ANB Inc. — a single organisation that also runs Ambulance New Brunswick and NB Health Link. Front-line nursing staff remained public employees at the time of the change; the shift was to unified management and a single access point, not to who delivers care at your door. Your local hospital, family doctor or nurse practitioner will typically still be aligned with Horizon or Vitalité, but the referral for Extra-Mural care itself goes to one province-wide Care Coordination Center regardless of where you live or which official language you use.
Requests can be made by the patient, a family member, a substitute decision-maker, or any health care provider — you do not need a doctor to initiate this. There are three ways to request service: an online referral form at extramuralnb.ca, a downloadable PDF form, or a paper form. The Care Coordination Center aims to make contact within two working days of your submission.
Need Extra-Mural care urgently? If services are needed within 24 hours, call the Care Coordination Center at 1-844-982-7367. After 4pm on weekdays, and on weekends and statutory holidays, calls to this number are routed through an answering service that can trigger an urgent response, rather than waiting for the next business day.
Home Support Services sits under the Department of Social Development, delivered through either the Long Term Care Program (for seniors) or the Disability Support Program, depending on the person's situation. Access typically starts with a needs assessment — commonly a two-hour in-home visit by a social worker or case manager — that develops a service plan and determines eligibility. Once approved, Social Development arranges for contracted, non-government home support agencies to actually deliver the personal care, housekeeping or meal support in your home.
Unlike Extra-Mural nursing care, Home Support Services is not automatically free. The Department assesses what you contribute according to your ability to pay, based on net family income — the same Standard Family Contribution approach used for nursing home costs (below). If you genuinely cannot afford the assessed contribution, you can ask Social Development about financial assistance rather than assuming the service is out of reach.
In some regions, families can request the home assessment directly by phone through Social Development, while in others the Extra-Mural clinical team can complete it as part of a broader home care assessment. Because the exact intake process varies by region, the most reliable first step is contacting the Department of Social Development directly (details below) or asking your Extra-Mural nurse or hospital social worker to make the referral on your behalf.
New Brunswick's long-term care system has several levels, not a single “nursing home” tier. Special Care Homes serve people who are relatively independent but need support with things like bathing or medication reminders (Level 2) or more daily assistance (Level 3G). Nursing Homes provide round-the-clock nursing supervision from Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses for people who need full-time care (Level 3A). Memory Care Homes are a distinct, secured setting for people with advanced dementia (Level 3B), typically smaller, single-storey facilities with a fenced outdoor area.
Placement into any of these levels goes through the Department of Social Development's Long Term Care Program — not directly through a facility, and not automatically after a hospital stay. To start, contact the Department at 506-453-2001 or 1-833-733-7835. Two separate assessments follow:
After both assessments are complete, you select your top two preferred homes, which are treated as equal first choices. You are then contacted when a spot opens at one of them. Declining an offered placement can put your eligibility at risk, though you can reapply afterward — so it's worth thinking through your preferences and having a support person involved in the decision before an offer comes in, not after.
New Brunswick uses an income-tested system called the Standard Family Contribution Policy for nursing home and special care home costs. In plain terms: if a person can afford to contribute toward their care costs, they are expected to, based on net family income and whether a spouse or dependents live at home. People whose income is at or below basic income assistance levels are exempt from contributing. If you believe you cannot afford the assessed amount, you can apply to the Department for financial assistance and complete a Financial Declaration Form, which considers income and, since a 2015 policy update, certain liquid financial assets (cash, GICs, stocks, bonds, TFSAs and similar) — but not RRSPs, RRIFs, or the family home.
We have deliberately not quoted a specific daily or monthly dollar rate here. Published figures vary by source and change with provincial budgets, and getting this number wrong in a guide like this does families no favours. Ask Social Development directly for the current rate and how it applies to your family's income when you begin the application — do not rely on older news articles or third-party summaries for this figure.
Waiting in hospital changes things. If your family member is admitted to hospital and it becomes clear they can no longer return home safely, speak to the hospital social worker as early as possible. They can help initiate or expedite the Long Term Care Program application from within the hospital. Starting this conversation early — even before you feel “ready” — keeps more options open than waiting until discharge planning is already under pressure.
Demand for nursing home beds in New Brunswick has been outpacing supply for several years, and this directly affects hospital flow. As of June 30, 2024, the provincial nursing home waitlist stood at 1,044 people, with 513 of them waiting in a hospital bed rather than at home — described at the time as the highest total recorded since tracking began in 2017. Regional pressure varies; the Moncton area has historically shown some of the largest numbers. These figures move regularly, so treat them as a snapshot of the pressure in the system rather than a current count — ask your Social Development contact or hospital social worker for the latest position when you apply.
The practical implication for families: applying early, before a crisis forces the decision, is genuinely advantageous. An application does not commit you to accepting the first placement offered in most circumstances, but it does get the clock started on assessments that otherwise cause delay later.
New Brunswick previously ran a Primary Informal Caregivers Benefit — a modest non-taxable monthly payment for people providing unpaid care at home to a Social Development client. It was introduced in 2018 but the funding was redirected in 2019 toward wage increases for paid home support workers, and the benefit was discontinued. We could not confirm a current, active, standalone New Brunswick cash benefit specifically for family caregivers as of this writing — it's still worth asking Social Development or Social Supports NB directly, since provincial programmes do change with each budget.
What is reliably available is federal support: the EI caregiving benefits (compassionate care benefits, and family caregiver benefits for children or adults) provide partial income replacement for people who reduce paid work hours to provide care, and the Canada Caregiver Credit and Disability Tax Credit can meaningfully reduce a family's tax burden. None of these are New-Brunswick-specific, but all apply to New Brunswick families and are frequently missed.
The Disability Tax Credit, EI caregiving benefits and Canada Caregiver Credit are among the entitlements many New Brunswick families miss while sorting out home care or a nursing home application.
💰 Canadian Entitlements Checker ⚖️ Power of Attorney — guide 🏥 Hospital Discharge — Canadian processLast verified: August 2026. Figures, thresholds, and programme details change regularly. Always verify current information at the source links above before making decisions.
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