Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Ontario. Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
McGuinty Government Transforming Community Living to Help Seniors Live Independently at Home
Aging at Home Strategy Will be LHIN led and Reflect Local Cultural Diversity
TORONTO – The McGuinty government
is launching an Aging at Home Strategy that will
transform community health care services so that
seniors can live healthy, independent lives in their
own homes, Health and Long-Term Care Minister
George Smitherman announced today.
"Our goal is to open a whole world of opportunity
for seniors that will offer new lifestyle choices that
are reflective of how Ontario`s seniors truly want to
live," said Smitherman "As our population ages,
we need to look for innovative solutions that are
more responsive to their needs and allow seniors
to continue to live in comfort and with respect in
their own homes, ideally for the rest of their days."
As part of a three-year $700 million strategy,
Ontario`s 14 Local Health Integration Networks
(LHINs) will lead an exciting initiative that will
impact the way services are delivered and help
provide more equitable access to health care by
matching the needs of the local senior population
with the appropriate support services. These
services could include enhanced home care and
community support services like meals,
transportation, shopping, snow shoveling, friendly
home calling, adult day programs, homemaking
services and caregiver supports.
"The Ontario Community Support Association and
our members are pleased that this government
recognizes the value of community support
services and assisted living in supportive housing
programs that keep people healthy at home where
they want to be. Evidence shows that these
services reduce seniors and persons with
disabilities use of hospitals, ERs and prevent
premature institutionalization - which is what this
system desperately needs," said Susan Thorning,
OCSA`s CEO.
The Aging at Home Strategy will offer new
possibilities for Ontario`s culturally diverse
populations and other community-level
organizations like service clubs and groups of
seniors to help serve themselves. It will make
available supports to help keep our seniors healthy
and active, longer. Innovative thinking combined
with health care solutions that encourage
prevention and health promotion will play a large
role in the LHINs plans to support Ontario`s seniors
and their caregivers.
"As with the development of residential hospices
we are witnessing across the province, government
investments in community, like that we are
announcing today, find success for many reasons,"
said Smitherman "not least of which is because
they leverage the love and support that is on offer
from countless community volunteers seeking to
make a positive difference in the lives of their
fellow citizens."
"We`re very pleased that this kind of innovative
funding will soon be available to help seniors
living in their own homes," said Lillian
Morgenthau, President of Canada`s Association for
the Fifty-Plus.
Today`s investment has been designed with an
historic new patient-centred funding model that
recognizes population growth and promotes
equitable access to services across Ontario based
on the actual health needs of the population.
Funding for enhanced services will flow to the
LHINs in April 2008.
In total, the government will invest $702 million in
the Aging at Home Strategy :
First-Year Planning for LHINs
$3,000,000
Assistive Devices Program Funding Increase
(mobility aids)
$40,000,000
Provincial Priorities
$66,000,000
Allocations to LHINs
$593,000,000
It is estimated that the senior`s population in
Ontario will double in the next 16 years. This
investment will result in a more sustainable health
care system that provides supports to seniors where
they most want them, in their own homes.
This is just one more example of how, working
together, Ontarians have achieved results in
health care services. Other initiatives include:
- $800 million more in long-term care home
funding since 2003
- $463 million more in home care funding since
2003
- $100 million more in community support
service funding since 2003
- $875 million invested in reducing wait times
since 2003 to perform more than 1,270,000
procedures.
Today`s initiative is part of the McGuinty
government`s plan for innovation in public health
care, building a system that delivers on three
priorities - keeping Ontarians healthy, reducing
wait times and providing better access to doctors
and nurses.
For further information :
Members of the media :
Jeff Rohrer, 416-326-8016
Minister`s Office
David Jensen , 416-314-6197
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
Members of the general public :
416-327-4327, or 1-866-532-3161
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