The Ontario government plans to launch a study this summer aimed at finding ways to keep seniors at home longer.
Health Minister Deb Matthews said Thursday that Dr. Samir Sinha will lead the development and implementation of the Seniors Care Strategy.
Sinha currently serves as the director of geriatrics at Mount Sinai and the University Health Network Hospitals in Toronto.
Sinha is expected to study how the province can support seniors at home while reducing hospital readmissions and pressure on long-term care homes.
"I see better care for seniors as an enormous opportunity in our health care system. An enormous opportunity to do better for people and to do better for the system," Matthews said during a news conference.
The strategy will include:
- Expansion of doctor's house calls
- Increase in access to home care for seniors in need
- Establishing care co-ordinators to work with health care providers so seniors receive the right care, particularly as they recover from a hospital stay
- Allowing seniors to adapt their home to meet their needs as they age with the assistance of the Healthy Homes Renovation Tax Credit
- Helping seniors stay healthy by eating well and exercising regularly so they can manage their own care and stay mobile.
Following the consultation period, Sinha will provide recommendations to the Minister and work with the sector to implement the strategy once it is approved.
Ontario's plan is expected to help 90,000 more seniors receive care at home and fund an additional three million Personal Support Worker hours over the next three years.
Older adults make up 14 per cent of Ontario's population and account for nearly half of current health care spending in the province.
