Ontario Connecting Long-Term Care Residents In Hamilton To Specialized Care And Supports

Investment providing supports in long-term care homes instead of hospitals

The Ontario government is investing more than $1.3M in 11 long-term care homes in Hamilton to help seniors with complex needs like dementia and bariatric care connect to specialized care and supports in a home instead of a hospital. This is part of a $20M investment in 2022-23 in 189 projects provincewide through a new Local Priorities Fund operated by Ontario Health.

“We’re expanding specialized services and supports for long-term care residents in Hamilton, so people with complex needs get the care they need and deserve in the comfort of a home, instead of a hospital,” said John Jordan, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care. “Our government is taking action to ensure Ontario’s seniors get the right care in the right place.”

Local Priorities Fund projects help residents get specialized care in their long-term care home, reducing emergency department visits and hospital admissions. They can also help long-term care homes admit alternate level of care hospital patients — people who no longer require acute care in hospital, but who have complex needs that are difficult to accommodate without specialized services and supports.

The projects allocated funding in Hamilton are:

• $785,508 for three projects at Idlewyld Manor for bariatric and diagnostic equipment, and eight beds for people with medically complex conditions;
• $233,235 for The Village of Wentworth Heights for bariatric equipment, diagnostic equipment, wound care mattresses, and specialized dementia training for staff;
• $210,635 to Hamilton Continuing Care for bariatric and diagnostic equipment (bladder scanner), wound care mattresses, and specialized dementia training for staff;
• $53,268 for two projects at Shalom Village to purchase bariatric and diagnostic equipment;
• $19,421 to Alexander Place for diagnostic equipment;
• $19,176 to Heritage Green Nursing Home for diagnostic equipment;
• $17,217 to St. Peter's Residence at Chedoke for diagnostic equipment;
• $8,698 to Ridgeview Long Term Care Home for diagnostic equipment;
• $7,343 to Wentworth Lodge for diagnostic equipment;
• $7,343 to Macassa Lodge for diagnostic equipment; and
• $3,500 to Regina Gardens for bariatric equipment.

The Local Priorities Fund is part of a broader investment of over $120M in 2022-23 to provide access to a range of specialized services and supports that are helping long-term care residents with complex needs access connected and convenient care in the right place.

The government is fixing long-term care to ensure Ontario’s seniors get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve both now and in the future. This work is built on four pillars: staffing and care; quality and enforcement; building modern, safe, and comfortable homes; and providing seniors with faster, more convenient access to the services they need.

Quick Facts

• The province has also announced Local Priorities Fund projects in the Niagara Region, Ottawa, Brampton, Mississauga, Windsor-Essex and Eastern Ontario.
• Ontario’s over $120M investment in specialized services and supports in 2022-23 included up to $20M for the Ontario Health Local Priorities Fund referenced in today’s announcement, $5.91M for four new Behavioural Specialized Units in long-term care homes, an additional $5 million for Behavioural Supports Ontario, $2.6M for Baycrest’s Virtual Behaviour Medicine program, and $4.5M to build dedicated spaces for health care at a new seniors’ housing complex in Kenora.
• Through a $6.4B investment, Ontario now has more than 30,000 new and 28,000 upgraded beds in development across the province. This will help increase overall bed capacity, address long-term care waitlists and hallway health care, and provide our seniors the care they deserve.
• The Ontario government is providing up to $1.25B this year to long-term care homes to hire and retain thousands more long-term care staff. This is part of the government’s historic four-year, $4.9B commitment to increase the provincewide average direct care time provided to residents to four hours per day by March 31, 2025.