Ontario Hospitals: The Quickest Route to LTC, Say Advocates

In Ontario, the pathway to long-term care facilities is increasingly reliant on hospital admissions, especially in Toronto. Advocates highlight a growing crisis due to a combination of an aging population and significant nursing home bed closures.

Challenges in Long-Term Care Admissions

Lisa Levin, CEO of AdvantAge Ontario, emphasizes that patients should not have to be in crisis to gain access to long-term care. Currently, over 50% of long-term care admissions originate from hospitals, a 67% increase since the pandemic began.

Urgent Call for Expanded Support

AdvantAge is urging the provincial government to enhance support for seniors. The proposed measures include:

• Capital funding to significantly increase seniors’ supportive housing options.
• An additional $600 million allocated for home care services.

Levin notes that many seniors require minimal assistance to maintain their independence and avoid hospitalization. The organization also seeks to secure more funding for long-term care homes, which increasingly serve residents with psychiatric or mood disorders.

Complex Admissions Process

Maria Elias, CEO of Belmont House in Toronto, reports that nearly 100% of their residents are admitted from hospitals in crisis, primarily due to closures of other nursing homes. This has resulted in a significant backlog in admissions from individuals seeking care directly within the community.

The Impact of Nursing Home Closures

Ontario has seen the loss of approximately 700 long-term care beds in Toronto due to home closures. These closures have been exacerbated by regulations prohibiting new admissions in large wards since 2020, following the COVID-19 crisis that greatly impacted the region’s nursing homes.

Government Investments

The provincial government is investing $6.4 billion to address these issues, which includes:

• Construction and redevelopment of long-term care homes.
• Expansion of home and community care services, amounting to $3.1 billion.
• Creation and training of new health care positions in long-term care, with an investment of nearly $5 billion.

As of January, there are 164 projects aimed at adding nearly 26,000 new or redeveloped beds that are completed, underway, or approved for construction. Although immediate relief is awaited, experts like Elias believe that systemic improvements are necessary to provide adequate support and care for Ontario’s aging population.