It’s only been a couple of weeks since the release of one of the most important commission reports of our time, and sadly, there are already signs that some of its key recommendations will be ignored by those in charge. For the sake of seniors and their families, that cannot happen.
Ontario’s Long-Term Care Commission rightly recognized that seniors want to age at home. In fact, it called home care cost-effective, desirable, feasible and safe.
In Toronto and throughout Ontario, however, access to home care services is under threat. Chronic underfunding has led to an exodus of home-care workers as higher wages draw its nurses and personal support workers into long-term-care facilities, leading to less care for people at home.
We are sounding the alarm. Without an immediate investment of $600 million, Ontario’s home care system will fail.
Queen’s Park seems more focused on institutional care, having announced billions for hospitals in its spring budget. This is missing the mark; seniors want the government to help them age with independence, in their own homes.
It’s imperative that the Ford government fix this mistake and heed the commission’s recommendation to invest in our home care system.
Our seniors deserve nothing less.
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