IPSOS-REID NewsRelease April 2001

IPSOS-REID SURVEY FINDS MAJORITY OF ONTARIANS

CONCERNED ABOUT COSTS OF LONG-TERM CARE

TORONTO (April 2, 2001) Long-term care is emerging as an important issue among Ontario voters, and one of their major worries is whether they'll be able to afford such care for themselves or a loved one in the future.

According to a public opinion survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid and released today:

almost half of Ontarians (46 per cent) now view long-term care as very important, and a further 22 per cent consider it important, in relation to other issues
61 per cent are concerned about the affordability of long-term care
while only 11 per cent currently have a family member in a long-term care facility, 50 per cent think they or a loved one will likely need this level of care in the next 20 years
more than half (55 per cent) now believe that they will have to begin setting aside savings for long-term care

Donna Rubin, CEO of the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS) which commissioned the survey, said there is good reason for this level of public concern. Currently in Ontario, the province pays only about $60 a day for each resident in a long-term care facility, which is one of the lowest rates in the country.

"Without an adequate level of public support, more and more of the costs will have to be shifted to residents and their families," Rubin explained. "We are already beginning to see signs of this with some individuals now paying out-of-pocket for some services which the system, because of underfunding, is having difficulty providing."

OANHSS, which represents not-for-profit homes and services for seniors, notes that funding for long-term care facilities has not kept pace with the escalating needs of residents. It is calling for an increase in the per diem rate paid by the province -- raising it from the current $60 to $85 a day over the next three years.

John Wright, Senior Vice President of Ipsos-Reid, explained that long-term care is becoming a mainstream issue because of the aging population. "With the baby boomers having to take care of aging parents, this is now on the radar screen of public opinion," he said.

"And because the boomers have the political and economic muscle to affect change, you can be sure that governments will be paying a lot more attention to long-term care in the future," Wright added.

According to the survey, Ontarians are less than enthused with the provincial government's record to date in funding and providing long-term care. Queen's Park gets a `fair' rating from 41 per cent of the public, a `poor' rating from 22 per cent, and a `very poor' rating from 11 per cent. Only 21 per cent say the province's record has been `good' or `excellent'.

Another key finding of the survey is the public's preference for having a balance of not-for-profit and for-profit providers of long-term care in the province. More than half (56 per cent) favour such a balanced system. Another 39 per cent prefer to have all facilities operated solely by not-for-profit organizations. Only 3 per cent are in favour of a purely for-profit system.

The survey results, released at OANHSS' annual conference in Toronto, are considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The poll was based on a randomly selected sample of 1,000 adult Ontarians.

Full Results of Ipsos-Reid Survey “Ontarians and Long-Term Health Care

C	ontact OANHSS

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

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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.