by Jill Aitken PhD | Jul 6, 2017 | Blog, senior care options |
Long-term care homes in Ontario are for people with significant health challenges and cognitive impairment who need access to nursing care and supervision 24-hours a day. Long-term care homes are also called nursing homes, and should not be confused with the term ‘retirement home’. In Ontario, all long-term care homes are publicly funded and regulated by the Ontario provincial government. Ownership can vary, with 57% of long-term care homes privately owned, 24% owned by non-profit/charitable, and 17% municipal. Operators are mandated to follow the provincial government’s requirements for running a long-term care home, as prescribed by the Long Term Care Homes Act, 2007. 1. Who gets accepted to long-term care homes in Ontario? Admission criteria for long-term care requires new residents to have high or very high physical and cognitive challenges to qualify. Needing very high needs to qualify, people now come to long-term care at a later stage in the progression of their diseases, when their health issues are more complex, and they are more physically frail. In these later stages of poor health, family or caregivers are no longer able to provide the necessary support at home or in a retirement home. To live in a long-term care home, you must: be age 18 or older have a valid Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP) card have health care needs including: 24-hours nursing care and personal care frequent assistance with activities of daily living (ADL) on-site supervision to ensure safety or well-being have health care needs which cannot be safely met in the community though publicly-funded services and other care-giving support have health care needs which can be... 
