Canada’s long-term care facilities need an overhaul. Non-profits could be the bridge to a better system.
Why It Matters
The overall failure of Canada’s long-term care system to protect their most vulnerable residents from a deadly virus is eroding trust in the system just as more seniors are starting to require long-term care.
In spite of the horrors of Canada’s long-term care (LTC) system during the COVID-19 pandemic, the wait list for people hoping to live in Yee Hong Geriatric Care’s facilities is still 4,000 names deep.
Dr. San Ng, CEO of the large non-profit facility focused on Asian seniors in the Greater Toronto Area, says the facility did rather well during the pandemic. According to statistics compiled by Nora Loreto, an independent researcher, Yee Hong has suffered just five COVID-related resident deaths since the start of the pandemic. “People come to Yee Hong and actually live longer than the average age of other long-term care organizations,” Ng told Future of Good.
The median wait time for LTC facilities in Ontario is anywhere from 90 days for Ontarians coming from a hospital to 159 days for those arriving from home living, according to Ontario government health data (al
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