Nearly 500 More Long-Term Care Beds for Seniors in Indigenous Communities

Ontario Supporting Seniors, Caregivers and Families with 30,000 New Beds Across the Province

May 4, 2018 9:00 A.M.

Ontario is creating nearly 500 new long-term care beds for Indigenous community members across the province. These beds will deliver culturally appropriate care for Indigenous peoples, reduce wait times and meet the demands of an aging population.

Through collaboration and continuous engagement between the province and Indigenous partners, new long-term care beds will be coming to the following communities and organizations:

Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Band Council – Iroquois Lodge in Ohsweken
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) in Moose Factory
Dilico Anishinabek Family Care in Fort William First Nation
Meno Ya Win Health Centre in Sioux Lookout
Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
Anishnawbe Health Toronto in Toronto

These new beds are part of the province’s commitment to build 5,000 new beds by 2022 and more than 30,000 new beds over the next decade. Ontario is also investing more than $300 million over the next three years to hire an additional registered nurse at every long-term care home, and to increase the provincial average to four hours of daily care per resident by 2022. This will ensure that every home will have staff with specialized training in behavioural supports and in palliative and end-of-life care.

The government is also improving life for more seniors by:

Expanding OHIP+ in 2019 to make prescription drugs free for everyone 65 and over.
Investing $650 million in new funding over three years to improve home and community care services.
Creating the Seniors’ Healthy Home Program to help those over 75 offset the costs of living independently with a $750 annual credit.

Making long-term care better and more accessible is part of the government’s plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes free prescription drugs for everyone under 25, and 65 or over, through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, and free preschool child care from 2 ½ to kindergarten.

Quick Facts

Ontario’s First Nations Health Action Plan is investing up to $222 million over three years and $104.5 million annually to ensure that Indigenous peoples have access to more culturally appropriate care and improved outcomes.
These long-term care home projects will continue through their respective capital and licensing reviews.
The 5,000 new long-term care beds will include nearly 500 new beds for Indigenous communities and over 1,500 new beds for specific cultures, including francophone communities. The new beds are also in addition to the 30,000 existing beds that are being redeveloped under the Enhanced Long-Term Care Home Renewal Strategy.
The government is investing more than $100 million over three years in Ontario’s Dementia Strategy, including $37.5 million to expand community dementia programs and respite care services.
Ontario’s proposed new Drug and Dental Program will allow individuals and families without extended health coverage to be reimbursed up to 80 per cent of eligible prescription drug and dental expenses. This represents an investment of more than $800 million over the program’s first two years.

Additional Resources

Quotes

“As part of Aging with Confidence: Ontario’s Action Plan for Seniors, our government committed to prioritizing new long-term care beds that are culturally appropriate for Indigenous peoples. Our government understands how important it is for people to have the option to stay in their communities for as long as possible, and get the care that reflects their unique needs. This is the first step to creating more than 30,000 new long-term care beds over the next decade and helping more seniors access the care they need.”

Dr. Helena Jaczek
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

“Through this investment, Ontario is improving access to culturally appropriate care for Indigenous people, often when they are nearing the end of their lives, or require palliative care. I’m grateful for the collaboration and engagement of the Indigenous partners as we work together to improve access for Indigenous seniors to long-term care that meets both their physical and cultural needs.”

David Zimmer
Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation

Media Contacts

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David Jensen
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Laura Gallant
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