A broader range of supports for seniors was among the campaign promises made today as John Hogan took his re-election campaign to Stephenville Crossing.

Hogan says if re-elected, his government will increase the income threshold for the NL Seniors’ Benefit by 10 per cent.

He’s also promising to create travelling Seniors Navigator Teams which will travel to rural parts of the province on a published schedule to allow seniors to get in-person help with provincial services without having to log onto a computer or wait on the phone.

Hogan today also vowed to provide more funding to allow seniors to stay in the comfort of their homes and communities and offer greater support to caregivers.

He’s vowing to double the Aging Well at Home Grant from $400 to $800 per year, and the Caregiver Benefit from $400 to $800 per month.

He says the overall cost of the platform promises made today amount to about $13 million.

Meanwhile, the Liberals, if elected, are promising to create an independent standalone monitoring and licensing body to monitor long term care and personal care homes for compliance with operations.

A recent review of long-term care and personal care homes conducted by the Senior’s Advocate found that 18 of the 22 long-term care homes 30 years of age or older had a higher percentage of components that required renovation or replacement, in addition to inconsistent “home-like environments.”