$400 fees, long-range patient transfers: What you need to know about Ontario's new long-term care rules:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-long-term-care-patients-transfer-1.6583036
I'm interested to hear different perspectives on this, people here are losing their minds about it in the belief that the vulnerable elderly will be dumped far from family supports in horrible "for profit" (dirty words) nursing homes.
Can we discuss?
But forcing seniors, who are the most impoverished group or paying $400 per day is just not acceptable. Which senior can pay $12,000 per month? More burden on families, paying or travelling for 100+ km to see them.
Caregivers and families are totally neglected, simple caregiving credit for tax purpose is next to nothing.
average pension remains at 25% of earnings, or $700 per month.
The overarching problem of course is that we just don't have enough long term care beds, including these priority patients there are some 30,000 people on wait lists. Even if we put shovels in the ground tomorrow we can't build spaces fast enough.... this has been a sh!t show decades in the making. And unfortunately the focus on community care has never been a viable solution for those with high needs.
I can understand the family wanting their LO nearby for many reasons, but I don't know that that justifies taking a bed from someone who needs acute hospital care. As we unfortunately learned during the epidemic, there is a limit on hospital space and resources.
I also think a hospital might not be the best place for someone waiting for NH care. Certainly, every time my mom was in the hospital. they actively encouraged her to remain in bed for as much of the day as possible, for fear of falling. It made her very weak; she lost quite a bit of leg strength every time she was admitted. And each time she came out, it was a tougher and tougher hill to climb to get back even part of her strength. Plus, she was bored out of her mind. If they had offered to treat her illness (CHF) in conjunction with her subsequent stays in the rehab center, she would have jumped on that opportunity like a kangaroo, if for nothing more that the activities that went along with the rehab center.
Of course, my mom did not suffer from cognitive issues, which I know puts an entirely different spin on this idea, including the opportunity to change facilities if allowed.
CWillie, do you think this might lead to, depending on the condition and health issues of the elderly in question, doctors "fibbing" about the stability of the patient in order to medically justify keeping that person in the hospital until such a time that they CAN get placement in the facility of their choice? (*NOT* trying to be argumentative, just honestly wondering...)
I am sure you are right, just remembered reading and I could be wrong, immediately it would free 400 beds, but there is something close to 5,000 seniors with different level of care required.
Possibly not all will be transferred.
You are so right those problems required solving decades ago.
Although necessary to free beds this is such drastic measures, read again nobody will be forced to leave hospital, but possibly pay $1800 per day?
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/home-care-problems-solutions-wcba-1.6581490
.... an article outlining the Dutch model of focusing on home care rather than nursing homes.
That sounds good and it's what my previous government was pushing for the last decade or so. But even 20 years ago my mom's PSW mentioned that at staff meetings almost all the heads in the room had grey hair, younger people would need to be paid significantly more in order to attract enough workers (if there even are enough workers available). And we are entering the years when the overwhelming numbers of the boomer generation are beginning to need care. And I don't see any way around the fact the home care model relies on unpaid family to provide the vast majority of care, something that many families can't or won't provide, especially for those with very high needs.