Ontario Health Coalition |
HEALTH FACTS: LONG TERM CARE |
Long Term Care Facilities Fact Sheet
Remember the Tory TV ads boasting of $1.2 billion to create 20,000 new long-term beds?
Care needs are growing
Well, the grand promise to spend $1.2 billion has a catch. Government spending is only to be finished by 2004! Meanwhile the number of elderly people in Ontario is growing. Hospital cuts and closures as well as the underfunding of home care are creating a huge demand for long-term care.
Care levels have been cut
The government plans to cut more than 3500 chronic care beds and move many chronic care patients to much cheaper long-term care facilities. Long-term care facilities cannot provide the medical services to replace chronic care hospitals. Chronic care beds are funded at a rate of $200 per day or more. Long term care beds average about $90 per day.
Care standards have been eliminated
The warehousing plans and discount care also affect current residents and the thousands waiting to get into facilities. That's because the province eliminated the minimum 2.25 hours of care per day for each resident. They also got rid of the requirement that facilities have a registered nurse on duty at all times.
Opening the door to health care user fees
There just aren't enough staff or hours of care available. Many families feel the need to hire private help to look after their loved ones. Residents who can't afford to pay don't receive the help they need.
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| Produced May 1999 | ||