Long-term care pushed by advocacy group as election issue
An advocacy group for seniors is attempting to make long-term care an election issue.
In the midst of Ontario's election campaign, the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) is warning that the aging population and the growing medical needs of seniors "require urgent action by the next government."
"The needs of seniors entering long-term care homes have risen dramatically in recent years," CEO of OLTCA Candace Chartier said in a media release. "Too many seniors are living in homes that need to be rebuilt and modernized. Too many seniors with Alzheimer's or other types of dementia aren't getting the supports they need to ensure their comfort and safety.
"Our advocacy campaign proposes solutions to these issues and aims to make change happen."
The OLTCA said its plan for action, called "Better Seniors' Care: It's Time" identifies key challenges facing seniors in long-term care homes and puts forward several recommendations to provide seniors with better care, including the following:
- Immediately develop and implement a plan to modernize homes identified as needing redevelopment.
- Establishment of specialized behavioural supports in every home to develop a higher level of patient-centred care for seniors living with Alzheimer's and other dementias.
- Additional resources to address under-staffing and enhance care provider roles to better care for seniors who require additional support to manage chronic diseases.
The OLTCA has initiated a province-wide tour to meet with residents and their families, and unveiled a comprehensive advocacy campaign.
The tour kicked off in Windsor at Riverside Place, where the waiting list is 300 people long.
On Tuesday, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath promised to create 1,400 more long-term care beds.
In his Million Jobs Plan, PC Leader Tim Hudak promises to put a new focus on chronic care and move health care closer to home.
"We will create chronic care centres of excellence and we will increase home-based care," the plan reads, in part. "Home care that is more easily available and straightforward to receive will mean that people aren’t forced into long-term care before they need it or into a hospital unnecessarily, and that a bed will be there for people who require it. We want seniors to be as healthy as they can be and to stay in their homes for as long as they can."