If you are reading this, you are likely in a position that thousands of Ontario families find themselves in every week. You’ve noticed aging parents struggling with daily tasks, or perhaps a loved one is being discharged from the hospital before you feel they are truly ready to be alone.
You know they want to stay in their own home—and you want that for them, too. But suddenly, you are thrust into a complex maze of acronyms, assessments, and waitlists.
In Ontario, the path to getting help at home generally splits in two directions: publicly funded care and private care. Understanding the differences between them—specifically regarding wait times, what is actually covered, and the consistency of care—is crucial to making the right decision for your family.
Here is a straightforward breakdown of the reality of home care in Ontario today.
In Ontario, publicly funded home care is coordinated through Ontario Health atHome. This system is designed to ensure that essential medical support is available to everyone, regardless of income.
Ontario residents with a valid Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) card are eligible to receive an assessment from Ontario Health at Home.
To access this care, a Care Coordinator from Ontario Health atHome assesses your loved one to determine their medical eligibility.
The public system excels at medical necessity. If your loved one requires wound care after surgery, IV antibiotics, or palliative medical support, the government funds this. They also fund Personal Support Workers (PSWs) to help with essential “Activities of Daily Living,” such as bathing, dressing, and toileting.
While essential, the public system is currently under immense strain.
Private home care is care that you hire directly through a service provider like us and you pay an hourly rate for the services you need.
There are generally no eligibility assessments required to begin private care. You decide what help is needed, and when.
The defining characteristic of private care is flexibility. Because you are not restricted by government mandates regarding “medical necessity,” private care covers the entire spectrum of senior living needs, including but not limited to:
The main barrier to private care is, naturally, the cost. However, the benefits it provides solve the major pain points of the public system:
We speak to families every day who are grateful for the medical support the public system provides, but find it simply isn’t enough to keep their loved ones safe and happy at home.
Families often turn to private care to fill the “gap” when they realize:
Often, the best solution is a hybrid approach. You should absolutely utilize the government-funded hours available to you for medical needs and basic personal care.
Many families then use private care to supplement those hours such as hiring a private caregiver for the afternoons to handle meal prep, provide companionship, and ensure safety until the family gets home from work.
You don’t have to figure this out alone. If you are unsure about what your loved one needs, or how to bridge the gap between what OHIP provides and what reality demands, give us a call. We can provide a free in-home consultation to help you map out a plan that keeps your loved one safe, comfortable, and at home.
