Current Updates on Healthcare for Ontario Seniors

The Seniors Strategy is being developed with the main goal of allowing seniors to access healthcare at home. While ideally, this will allow for individuals to be more comfortable while receiving these services, it will also create more free space within hospitals, contributing to shorter wait times for those requiring on-location care or treatment.

To read more about Ontario’s Seniors Strategy visit:

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ms/ecfa/healthy_change/docs/rep_healthychange.pdf

In addition to this, new policies introduced by the Liberal party mandate that seniors who fall into the highest 5% income bracket will be required to pay an increased amount out-of-pocket for prescription drugs. In doing so, the money saved by the government is proposed to be spent on increasing home-care services for seniors, and developing patient-centered models in hospitals. These changes will be effective August 2014.

The CBC article can be viewed at:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/03/27/toronto-ontario-budget-health.html

Finally, reforms to the Ontario Budget (2008) were made in order to improve seniors’ access to healthcare. These reforms included:

• $107 million over the next three years to move towards 2,500 more personal support workers for long-term care homes. These workers, and additional nurses, will significantly improve the amount and quality of care provided to long-term care residents
• $278 million over the next three years to address various program needs in long-term care homes, in addition to the investments for nurses and personal support workers and the commitment to redevelop 35,000 older long-term care beds
• More than $700 million over the next three years to implement the Aging at Home Strategy to provide additional community services such as home care, supportive housing and other community supports. Seniors and others who are eligible will receive care at home or move to assisted living as required, keeping them independent and healthier longer
• More than $100 million over the next three years to treat Ontario Drug Benefit program recipients for neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with Lucentis, a prescription medication.

The Ontario Budget 2008 can be viewed at: http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/budget/ontariobudgets/2008/chpt1e.html