New funding to boost daily care for LTC residents

Extra staff will help strengthen sector, nursing home chief says

NEW HAMBURG — The province announced more funding for long-termcare homes in Waterloo Region on Friday, allowing the homes to provide three hours of direct care for every resident.

The $9.6 million more this year allows the 24 long-term-care homes in Waterloo Region to hire the staff to increase care from the two hours and 45 minutes residents currently receive, said Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris.

“By 2024-25, the total funding will be nearly $60 million, which will enable local homes to meet the four-hour standard of care,” Harris said.

The extra funding is “essential,” said Dr. Steven Harrison, chief executive officer of non-profit Tri-County Mennonite Homes, which runs Nithview.

“The tragic toll that COVID-19 has taken across the long-term-care sector has brought to light the critical need for support for these homes,” he said.

Extra staffing is desperately needed to “give some relief and hope to a weary workforce,” Harrison said. “Improved staffing levels in homes like ours is the first step to bolstering a struggling sector. The pandemic has left staff tired and worn out, demoralized and looking for optimism for the future.”

Long-term care homes have faced severe staff shortages for years, but Harrison said he’s confident he’ll be able to hire the staff needed to provide the extra care, noting that 4,000 people have applied for jobs at Tri-County so far this year. “We are working very hard to recruit and retain folks into the long-termcare workforce,” he said.

“I’d be lying to you if I said it was easy. It is challenging. There are a lot of folks who are struggling with fatigue after 20 months of COVID-19 and no complete end on the horizon yet.”

More staff and more beds are desperately needed in Waterloo Region. The region has some of the longest waiting lists in Ontario for long-term care, MPP Harris said.

It could take a year to 18 months for a person on the wait-list to get a bed at Nithview, Harrison said.

The number of long-term-care beds in Waterloo Region is also set to expand, with an extra 500 beds announced in the region, Harris said. The region currently has 2,736 long-term-care beds.

Nithview has got funding to double its capacity, adding 95 beds to its current 97 by 2025. Also on Friday, the province announced $7 million to expand the care seniors get at home while they are on a wait-list for a long-term-care bed. Paramedics will provide services such as non-emergency home visits and inhome testing; ongoing monitoring of vital signs to prevent worsening of chronic medical conditions; and assessments, referrals and diagnostic procedures.

Early feedback from the pilot shows the program reduces hospital admissions. In Toronto, for instance, the program provided COVID-19 vaccines to housebound seniors.