The Ontario government is providing over $444,000 to four long-term care homes in Peterborough and Lakefield. This funding, totaling $444,135, will be used to support residents with complex needs such as dementia and bariatric care. The goal is to reduce the need for emergency department visits and hospital stays.
The funds, which come from Ontario’s $20-million Local Priorities Fund, will support the purchase of additional IV equipment, bariatric equipment, bladder scanners, ECGS, and supports such as slip-proof floor mats, wrap-around bed rails, and grab bars.
The 250-bed Fairhaven long-term care facility in Peterborough leads the funding with $261,059. Executive director Nancy Rooney thanked the province for the support to enhance services for residents’ care needs. “The Local Priority Fund allows our residents to have the care required without overburdening our hospitals,” Rooney said. “Additionally, this funding covers costs for specialized staffing, equipment, and services for new, or increasingly complex medical or specialized equipment needs which cannot currently be accommodated in our home. This fund has made a significant impact to our organization. We greatly appreciate the provincial support in funding different initiatives, such as the Local Priorities Fund.”
The funding coincides with a Fairhaven proposal to the province for funding to add more beds. “We just submitted an application to the Ministry (of Long-Term Care) for an additional 128 beds just last week,” Rooney said. “Hopefully, we will be able to increase beds so we can increase our home to 384 beds.” Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith says he’s “hopeful” the process can be expedited for Fairhaven. “It would mean one of the fields here would turn into a building but I think that’s OK,” he said.
Other funding allocations in Peterborough include $139,805 for St. Joseph’s at Fleming and $37,321 for Extendicare Peterborough. Just under $6,000 is allocated for Extendicare Lakefield.
“This investment, tailored to the needs of our community, will provide long-term care residents right here in Peterborough-Kawartha with specialized supports and services they need,” Smith said. “Through the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is taking action to ensure Ontario’s seniors get the right care in the right place.”
Launched in 2022, the Local Priorities Fund saw $20 million invested in 2022-2023 for long-term care homes to purchase specialized equipment and train staff to provide more specialized care. “Our government is continuing to take action to ensure long-term care residents across Ontario get the right care in the right place,” stated Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care. “This funding will expand specialized staffing, equipment and other services at homes across the province so long-term care residents with complex needs can connect to the care they need, when and where they need it.”
Ontario says it is providing up to $1.8 billion in long-term care funding this year as part of its four-year, $4.9-billion commitment to increase the province-wide average direct-care time for residents to four hours per day by March 31, 2025.
According to the Ontario Long-term Care Association, there are more than 43,000 people on wait lists for a long-term care bed, a total that has doubled over the past decade. The rate is estimated to grow by 1,000 people per year. It’s a similar trend in the Peterborough area, Rooney notes. “We do have over 1,200 residents in the community waiting for a long-term care bed,” she said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity for people to come in on a regular basis.”
