Association Calls for Ontario to Make Seniors Care a Priority

Investments needed to modernize homes and provide specialized supports for seniors with dementia

TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2016 /CNW/ - At a speech in downtown Toronto, the Ontario Long Term Care Association called for government to make long overdue investments in Ontario's long-term care homes where 77,000 seniors receive 24/7 care each year. Pointing to the rapidly increasing needs of the seniors being cared for, the Association laid out 4 key solutions that would ensure that seniors get better care.

"The seniors that we care for have very different needs then those we were caring for 10 years ago. The simple truth is that government funding hasn't kept pace," said Candace Chartier, CEO of the Ontario Long Term Care Association. "Right now in long-term care homes right across the province, seniors with Alzheimer's and dementia aren't getting the specialized services we know will help provide them with safer, more comfortable care."

The Association unveiled a new report, which can be found at www.betterseniorscare.ca, which outlines 4, realistic and affordable solutions that once implemented will result in real, tangible improvements to the care being provided seniors in long-term care:

1. To eliminate the three and four-bed rooms and other outdated designs that date back to 1973, a renewed plan must be implemented to modernize and rebuild older long-term care homes that 35,000 seniors live in today.
2. To provide the best care and treatment to the almost 65,000 seniors living with Alzheimer's and dementia, each home in Ontario must be provided specialized supports and resources.
3. To keep seniors in their home community and out of hospital, a strategy must be implemented that recognizes the unique needs of homes in small and rural communities.
4. To help manage the growing needs of seniors in today's long-term care homes, staffing models need to be changed and expanded.

 "Too many seniors are living in homes that need to be rebuilt and modernized. Too many seniors with dementia aren't getting the supports they need to ensure their comfort and safety. Our seniors deserve better care," said Chartier. "Our seniors need to know that when they can no longer be cared for at home, that the long-term care services they need will be there for them. The time for action is now."

About the Ontario Long Term Care Association

The Ontario Long Term Care Association is the largest association of long-term care providers in Ontario and the only association that represents the full mix of long-term care operators – private, not-for-profit, charitable, and municipal. Our members provide care and accommodation services to over 70,000 residents annually in nearly 440 long-term care homes in communities throughout Ontario.

SOURCE Ontario Long Term Care Association

Adrienne Spafford, Director of Strategy & Public Affairs, Ontario Long Term Care Association, 416-272-0120, [email protected]