Ontario is making significant strides in ensuring culturally appropriate long-term care for seniors.
The province has taken steps to address concerns raised about Bill 7, a law enacted in 2022 that initially faced criticism for potentially placing seniors in long-term care homes not aligned with their cultural backgrounds. It was discovered that the legislation resulted in a decrease in admissions to cultural homes and a mismatch in placements.
In response, Long-Term Care Minister Natalia Kusendova-Bashta launched a successful pilot project in April across 29 homes catering to specific religious, ethnic, or linguistic communities.
Under the new rules, placement co-ordinators now have the flexibility to prioritize cultural considerations when admitting seniors in urgent need of care, especially those transitioning from hospital settings, rather than solely following a rigid crisis list ranking.
This approach is now being rolled out to all of Ontario’s 59 cultural long-term care facilities.
AdvantAge Ontario CEO Lisa Levin, representing non-profit long-term care homes, hailed the expansion as a positive step towards ensuring that seniors receive care that respects their language, faith, culinary preferences, and traditions, while also prioritizing those with the most pressing care requirements.
Keyphrase: Ontario long-term care homes