Provincial Investment Will Mean The Right Care In The Right Place For Ontario’s Seniors

Government Release & Backgrounder
(includes list of bed allocations by region)

Toronto, Ontario (February 10, 2005) - The government’s announcement of $29.2 million to improve access to more appropriate health care will mean that Ontario’s seniors will benefit from the right care in the right place at the right time.

“Hospitals are under tremendous strain and the long term care sector is well-positioned to help alleviate some of this pressure,” said Donna Rubin, CEO of the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS). “With this new funding for convalescent care beds our homes can offer a home-like and supportive environment for people who no longer require acute care, where they will be well-cared for as they recuperate.”

OANHSS members have been part of the government’s convalescent care pilot project in Ottawa over the past year. It has been a very successful example of community partners – government, hospitals and long term care homes – working together to provide care to people in the most appropriate setting.

“People enjoy recovering in the environment we have in our long term care home,” said Diane Hupé, Senior Vice-President, Patient Care, SCO Health Service, one of the OANHSS member organizations participating in the pilot project for this initiative. “They feel well looked after and supported in their convalescence with us. The key is our holistic, interdisciplinary approach involving physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social work and nursing. We work together as a team to help people recover and regain their independence.”

“The Ottawa pilot project has clearly demonstrated that long term care homes can be a valuable link between hospital care and returning home,” added Greg Fougère, Executive Director of the Perley and Rideau Veteran’s Health Centre, another OANHSS member home that hosted the pilot.

“Over 200 people were transferred to the convalescent care program at the Perley Rideau and Residence St. Louis sites in the last year. They need about 30 days to recover before being discharged. That freed up over 6,000 acute care bed days for inpatient care. With this announcement, this kind of success will now be repeated in community after community, so it’s great to see the program rolling out across Ontario,” Fougère and Hupé noted.

Today’s announcement also includes $10 million to create up to 500 interim long term care beds for people who are waiting in hospital for a permanent LTC bed in their community.

“The reality is that there are still areas of the province where there are not enough long term care beds. This investment is a welcomed response from government which addresses the need to improve long term care in these communities, while at the same time freeing up acute care beds that are in high demand,” said Rubin.

OANHSS is the provincial association representing not-for-profit providers of long term care, services and housing for seniors. Its member facilities operate over 26,000 long term care beds and more than 5,000 seniors' housing units in Ontario.

- 30 -

For further information, contact:

Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes & Services for Seniors
7050 Weston Road, Suite 700, Woodbridge, Ontario L4L 8G7
(P) 905-851-8821
(F) 905-851-0744

Comments or questions about our site?
Contact Debbie Humphreys at 905-851-8821 ext. 233
 Media Enquiries
© Copyright 2008 OANHSS

OANHSS Privacy Policy

OANHSS members include not-for-profit providers of long term care, services and housing for seniors in Ontario.
Members include municipal and charitable long term care homes, non-profit nursing homes,
seniors' housing projects and community service agencies.