With the Ontario election slated to begin Wednesday, the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP), one of Canada’s leading seniors advocacy groups, today officially endorsed Home Care Ontario’s call for further investments that would provide over 16 million more hours of home care for seniors and their families across the province.
“CARP is proud to support this initiative to expand home care in Ontario. It is critical that we solve the recurring hallway healthcare crisis and investing in home care not only alleviates pressure on our overburdened hospitals but also honours seniors’ preferences to age in place,” said Bill VanGorder, Education and Advocacy Officer, Canadian Association of Retired Persons. “This ‘home first’ approach is a win-win, improving quality of life for older adults while efficiently utilizing healthcare resources. It’s high time we prioritize care that keeps our seniors out of hospital hallways and in the comfort of their own homes. We call on all provincial parties to support seniors and prioritize home care in this election.”
The two organizations have come together to ensure the needs of seniors are front and centre during this election. Their combined message is simple – it is paramount that all political parties prioritize care and supports for seniors, including significantly expanding the amount of home care available to help them stay safe and healthy at home.
Home Care Ontario is highlighting that the sector has the professional home care staff in place to deliver significantly more home care and is calling on all parties to fund a ‘home first’ approach to take pressure off other parts of the health system and improve the care provided to our seniors.
“CARP’s sole focus is improving the lives of seniors and we are thrilled to have their support for our proposal to massively expand the amount of home care available in Ontario,” said Sue VanderBent, CEO, Home Care Ontario. “We have a highly skilled professional home care staff at the ready, and with increased investments, we could deliver 16.5 million more hours of home care to seniors and patients in Ontario. This would be a game changer for seniors and would reduce hospital wait times and shrink the LTC wait list.”
CARP endorses Home Care Ontario’s recommendations to support and grow the home care sector, which are:
- Increase the number of visits and hours of home care provided by 10% a year for the next 3 years.
- Invest $624 million over three years to improve compensation and help the sector attract and retain our home care staff.
- Provide ongoing specialized training and mentorship to help retain existing, skilled home care staff; and,
- Enhance the Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit and remove the existing barriers to support increased Home Care services for Ontarians.
The campaign is anchored by an informative website, www.homenothallways.ca
“Ontarians want more home care. They deserve more home care and the home care sector is ready to deliver,” concluded VanderBent. “With an election around the corner, we hope all parties will make home care a priority and support CARP and Home Care Ontario’s call to provide thousands more seniors with more than 16 million additional hours of care. We need to seize this opportunity and greatly expand Ontario’s home care system to meet the increased demand that we know is coming. That is truly what our aging seniors deserve.”
