Long-Term Care Facility vs. Retirement Community

First of all, apologies to anyone not living in Ontario.

In Ontario, we have retirement communities: these are for people who no longer wish to live alone, but who still retain some measure of independence. And while many of them offer graduated levels of care, ranging from virtual independence to advanced care, they are NOT considered long-term care facilities. Retirement homes are not administered by the Ontario Government; instead, they are accredited by the Ontario Retirement Communities Association (ORCA).

Long-term care facilities are for people who need substantial assistance in daily living. They are regulated by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and although they may be owned by private or charitable organizations, they have to meet the Ministry standards for facilities and care.

Why is this important?

• The waiting list for long-term care facilities is often very long, while the waiting list for admission into a retirement home with graduated care is not necessarily long at all;
• People only qualify for long-term care AFTER they have been fully assessed by their local Community Care Access Center (CCAC) ; you do NOT need a CCAC assessment for admission to a retirement community;
• While the care received on the Advanced Care floor of an ORCA-accredited retirement home may be as complete as that in a long-term care facility, it is NOT regulated by the Ontario ministry. The care requirements for ORCA-accredited care can be found in the ORCA accreditation document, on pages 17-20;
• When your parents are placed on the waiting list, they have to declare 3 choices; when one becomes available, they MUST move into it, or else be removed from the waiting list for 6 months. If it's not their first choice, they can move into the first choice later, as soon as a place becomes available.

This can be really, really confusing. It means that if your parents are in a retirement home and need extra care, they can arrange that care through CCAC, just as they would if they were living at home. OR, they can choose to go up to a higher level of care within the retirement home. But that decision would NOT be based on a CCAC assessment.

Confusing, isn't it? And at times like these, the last thing we're ready for is more confusion!