Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, January 29, 2014 – Ontario Improving Access to Home and Community Care: Ontario is ensuring seniors have better access to home care and community supports so they can live independently and in their homes longer.
This year the government has provided a $260 million increase in supports to programs across the province that help more than 637,000 seniors and their families get the right care, in the right place, at the right time, while reducing unnecessary hospital visits and readmissions. This includes:
- Expanding community adult day programs to include more evenings and weekends, including at Providence Healthcare in Scarborough, to provide additional caregiver relief and meaningful activity for people with moderate to severe dementia.
- Helping seniors with complex needs live independently in Toronto through personal support services and supportive housing provided by LOFT Community Services.
- Expanding programs in Northeastern Ontario to safely discharge high-risk seniors from hospital acute care or ER, and get them back to their homes sooner.
- Providing overnight respite for caregivers of seniors with dementia in the South West LHIN through Adult Day Programs, benefiting approximately 75 to 100 families in the region annually.
This investment means that 46,000 more seniors will benefit from home care, and home care wait times will be reduced for patients with complex needs who require nursing and personal support worker services.
Providing more home and community care to seniors helps deliver on our Action Plan for Health Care to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place. This is part of the Ontario government’s economic plan to invest in people, build modern infrastructure and support a dynamic and innovative business climate.
Quick Facts
- Over the next 20 years, the population of seniors aged 65 and over in Ontario will more than double from 1.9 million today to 4.2 million in 2036.
Source: http://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2014/01/helping-seniors-get-the-care-they-need-at-home.html
