What is long-term care?

For many seniors, there comes a time when they are no longer able to live independently – when they require some form and degree of assistance with their health care or activities of daily living.

Depending on the type and degree of help required, a senior may be able to continue living in his or her own home, with "Home Care Services" brought to them as needed. Or a senior could move into seniors' housing, where supportive services are accessible as wanted or needed.

     
   
 
   

Long-term care facilities provide
levels of care ranging from
relatively light...
  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
         
 
 
When a senior's needs are greater, however – when care or assistance must be readily available at all times – at levels ranging from relatively light care, to very heavy care – and for impairments that may be physical, cognitive, or very frequently both – that is the role of a long-term care facility.
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
...to very heavy.
      
         
 
 

Core Services

All long-term care facilities (or "LTC facilities" for short) are licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and all provide numerous vital services and programs.

All LTC facilities provide nursing and personal care on a 24-hour basis, including care given by or under the supervision of a registered nurse or registered practical nurse, the administration of medication, and assistance with activities of daily living.

  
     
 

All LTC facilities provide
nursing and personal care
on a 24-hour basis
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
     
   
     
         
 

All LTC facilities have one or more staff doctors on call for the medical care of their residents. Residents may have the possibility of being cared for by their own physician.

All LTC facilities must keep a sufficient supply of the medical supplies and nursing equipment necessary for the care of their residents.

 
   
   
   
   
 

 

  
 
 

They must likewise have the necessary materials and equipment for their residents' personal hygiene and grooming.

All LTC facilities provide complete meal services, including three daily meals, snacks between meals and at bedtime, special and therapeutic diets and dietary supplements, and devices that assist residents in feeding themselves.

  


All LTC facilities provide
complete meal services
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 

Social, recreational and physical programming are very important
core services
  

All LTC facilities further provide laundry services, all required bedding and linen, bedroom furnishings including adjustable beds, adjustable bedrails, bedside tables, and the cleaning and upkeep of all rooms and public areas.

Another important service dimension provided by LTC facilities encompasses appropriate social programs, recreational programs, and physical activities. And all LTC facilities must maintain an active resident council made up of resident representatives and staff members.

  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
   
These core services must be provided by LTC facilities as a condition of licensing, and all services must meet certain minimum standards as defined by the provincial ministry.

Furthermore, all LTC facilities provide these services not just for seniors, but also for adults of any age who require a similar degree of care.

It’s also important for consumers to understand that while some facilities have a particular religious or cultural focus, all LTC facilities are open to people of all backgrounds and faiths.
 

Optional Services

In addition to these core services, individual facilities may also offer a number of other services, some available to all residents, and others on an optional, extra fee basis.

Examples of such additional services include pastoral care and religious services, hairdressing and barber services, in-facility banking, telephone and cable television connections, a tuck shop and/or newspaper delivery, dry cleaning, mending, and ironing services, and the providing of uninsured health care services, such as specialized foot care, or dental care.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
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Hairdressing is one of the
most popular optional
services provided by
LTC facilities
  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
       
     

 

  
 

Volunteers play a very valuable
role in most LTC facilities
 

Another optional but virtually universal dimension of LTC facilities is the very important role played by facility volunteers.

Facility volunteers are all those very generous people who donate their time and energy to LTC facilities, assisting staff and enriching the lives of residents in innumerable ways. Volunteers assist Activity Programmers in a wide variety of recreational, leisure, and therapeutic activities.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  And, perhaps most significantly of all, volunteers offer residents more of those basics that there can never be too much of - attention, interest, and friendship.

Other important service variables that consumers should be aware of is whether or not a facility is completely non-smoking, and whether or not a facility has secured wards and outside areas for residents with dementia. 		 
   
   
 

 

      
 

Governance and Ownership

Some long-term care facilities are owned by large corporations, and operated on a for-profit basis.

Some are owned by families or individuals, who also operate them on a for-profit basis.

Many facilities are owned and operated by charitable organizations with specific religious, cultural, or ethnic affiliations. All such charitable facilities are run on a not-for-profit basis.

And every municipality in Ontario must own and operate at least one LTC facility in their region. All such publicly-owned municipal homes are also run on a not-for-profit basis.

      
       
   

All LTC facilities are regulated and
have their budgets determined
by the Provincial Ministry of
Health and Long-Term Care
  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
       
         
 


Resident fees are based on the type of accommodation the resident is in. Ward rooms accommodate 2-4 residents with
a shared bathroom
 

Traditionally, some long-term care facilities have been called "Nursing Homes", while others have been called "Homes for the Aged". But no matter what they're called, on what basis they're operated, or who they're owned by, all long-term care facilities are licensed by the provincial government, provide the same core services, and come under the same provincial regulations.

It's also very important for consumers to understand that all LTC facilities receive the same level of funding from

  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  the provincial government, based on the number of beds they provide, and the level of care required by each resident, and all charge the same fees to their residents, based on the type of room the resident is in – private, semi-private, or ward.  
   
   
   
 


All LTC facilities therefore operate within very similar budgets, which are determined by the Provincial Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Consumers should be aware that LTC facilities may or may not choose to seek accreditation from the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation – an independent organization that reviews the services of LTC facilities, and rates them as "accredited" if they meet the organization's national standards.

  


Semi-private rooms accommodate two residents with a shared bathroom
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
         
 

Private rooms accommodate one
resident with a private bathroom
  Consumers should further be aware that "Retirement Homes" are a completely different type of accommodation, not falling under long-term care regulations, not providing the same mandated services, and with a totally different funding and fee structure.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
       
   
 
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