Province Urged to 'Go the Distance' in
Addressing the Needs of the Frail Elderly
October 9, 2002 -- Ontario's 63,000 long-term care residents
and their family members are looking to the provincial government for the kind
of funding increase that will allow for a significant improvement in the level
of care.
Queen's Park injected $100 million into long-term care
operating funding this summer -- raising its contribution to about $70 a day for
each resident.
"It was a much needed infusion, and was a good
first step in addressing the funding shortfalls that have plagued the sector for
years," says Donna Rubin, CEO of the Ontario Association of Non-Profit
Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS).
Even with this increase, however, OANHSS estimates that
long-term care remains underfunded by about $430 million a year. A further hike
in the per diem paid by the province -- from $70 to $88 -- is required to close
this gap.
Rubin is currently travelling across the province and
meeting with OANHSS members as part of a fact-finding mission. OANHSS will be
making submissions to government this Fall during the consultation process
leading up to the provincial budget early next year.
"The underlying problem is that provincial funding
has not kept pace with the changing needs of residents," Rubin explains.
The average age of those living in long-term care facilities is now 86, compared
to 73 two decades ago. Today, residents often have multiple chronic illnesses
and require special care. About half suffer from dementia and other mental
health illnesses, and over three-quarters require rehabilitation to maintain
their level of functioning.
"Residents are older, and their care requirements
are far more complex than at any time in the past. Yet funding increases from
the province has barely kept up to inflation," Rubin explains.
Even with the recent increase to $70, Ontario's per
diem rate remains one of the lowest in the country. Chronic underfunding has had
serious consequences:
*
long-term care residents receive only about two hours of nursing and
personal care a day
*
staff is stretched to the limit, with each registered nurse looking after
up to 100 residents
*
even though there is a high proportion of residents with dementia and
behavioural problems, less than 6 per cent receive any professional intervention
*
only 10 per cent of residents with rehabilitation potential actually
receive physical therapy
*
the food allowance for each resident is only $4.49 a day
Less than 8 per cent of the Ministry of Health's annual
budget is spent on the operation of long-term care facilities. "We're not a
big-ticket item within the overall health system, yet we care for one of the
most vulnerable populations," Rubin notes.
"We're hoping that this time, in the next
provincial budget, Queen's Park will go the full distance in meeting the needs
of the frail elderly."
OANHSS members operate not-for-profit long-term care
facilities, housing units and community services for seniors -- serving over
140,000 people in the province every year.
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For more information contact Donna
Rubin or 905-851-8821 extension 230.
|
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 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.