It’s time for a long-term plan to better care for Ontario’s seniors.

Over the past year, I’ve visited a number of long-term care homes, senior assisted living residences, and organizations that provide services to seniors.  Today I have the honour of speaking at the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OAHNSS) Convention.  I have been, and consistently continue to be, impressed by the dedication and professionalism of the services provided by staff in the long-term care sector. I, along with all Ontarians, owe everyone in this sector a huge debt of gratitude.

At the same time, I acknowledge the growing challenges faced in caring for our aging population. I’ve learned of the underfunding by governments of all stripes for the long-term care sector.  I’ve learned about the lack of a continuum of care for seniors.  I’m troubled that seniors are often forced to reside in long-term care homes far away from their community, their friends, their families, and the environment with which they are familiar.  I’ve also learned that the additional regulations under the Long Term Care Homes Act have imposed substantial costs and burdens on long-term care homes.  

The Green Party of Ontario is prepared to address these challenges with sensible, long-term solutions.

We completely endorse OANHSS’s recommendation for a comprehensive capacity planning exercise organized by the province with input from stakeholders, such as OANHSS and Ontario Long Term Care Association.  Ontario needs a long term plan so that we can efficiently allocate resources where they will be most cost-effective and provide the kind of care that seniors deserve and require.

The Green Party supports prioritizing investments in home care, assisted living, transitional care, and long-term care.  Greens support investing in case mangers to assist seniors in navigating the health care system.  We believe such investments are cost-effective approaches to ensuring the long-term sustainability of our public health care system.

We propose re-examining the implementation of the government’s Alternate Level of Care (ALC) strategy, particularly the critical needs component, to achieve a balance between patients’ needs and the ethnic, cultural or religious makeup of individual homes. In addition, we support another round of amendments to the Assessment Act to exempt all not-for-profit homes from property taxes, whether they began as nursing homes or charitable homes. 

It’s time for a long-term plan that meets the needs of seniors to receive the continuum and quality of care they need where and when they need it.