Just as the province sees an explosion in demand for home care, it is plunging this service into chaos.
By Erin Ariss, Fred Hahn and J.P. Hornick
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
We all know someone who has received home-care services.
Patients discharged from hospital to continue recovery at home, people with disabilities who require supports and services, seniors receiving care so they can continue living independently, people who require community support like clinic care or day away programs, among others — home and community care is an invaluable health-care service.
Our need for a robust and accessible home-care sector has never been greater as Ontarians age. We will soon need at least 6,800 more personal support workers just to maintain the current level of services and similar numbers of nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and home-care sector health professionals.
This is a looming staffing crisis that we must avoid.
Yet, just as the province sees an explosion in demand for home care and those who are responsible for providing and co-ordinating it, our provincial government is plunging this much-restructured service into chaos — again.