Reports on Long-Term Care Homes

Actions are:

1. Issue a Written Notification (WN)
2. Request a Plan of Correction, to be implemented voluntarily (VPC)
3. Make a Compliance Order or a Work and Activity Order
4. Issue a WN and refer the matter to the Director for further action by the Director.

Other powers of the Director under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 and its regulations include:

• directing the community care access centre to cease admissions to the Home
• revoking or refusing to renew the LTC Home's license;
• reducing or withholding funding
• requiring the LTC home operator to retain someone to manage or assist in managing the home
• taking steps to operate or take control of a municipal LTC Home.

A person who has the overall responsibility for managing the day-to-day operations of a Long-Term Care (LTC) Home, and is accountable to the LTC Home licensee.

A process that organizations use to evaluate their services and to improve the quality of their services.

Accommodation in a Long-Term Care (LTC) Home can refer to basic accommodation (standard room or any other type of room designated by the Home operator as basic accommodation) or preferred accommodation (semi-private or private room). Costs for each type of room are regulated by a maximum government accommodation rate. See also Accommodation Costs and Preferred Accommodation

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care mandates that a minimum of 40 per cent of the beds in a Long-Term Care Home must be available at the basic accommodation rate. Eligible residents paying the basic accommodation rate may apply for a reduction in accommodation costs. See also Preferred Accommodation

A yearly inspection of a Long-Term Care Home by Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care inspectors. See also Inspection and LTC Home inspectors

Short-stay beds are a response to the community's need for respite and supportive care programs. An individual is admitted into a Long-Term Care (LTC) Home for a specific short time period. The respite care program provides relief to an individual's caregiver. The convalescent care program allows an individual to recover strength, endurance or functioning. LTC Home operators have the opportunity to apply to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to operate short-stay beds within their existing licensed or approved beds, and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and or the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) approves the beds based on need and suitability of rooms offered. There are three types of short stay: the maximum number of days a person can stay for respite is 60 continuous or 90 in a calendar year, for convalescent care it is 90 continuous days or in a calendar year. and for an interim bed it is 120 consecutive days for the first period. This allows the CCAC’s to extend a resident’s stay up to 60 days if certain circumstances are met. Eligibility for admission and placement in short-stay beds are determined by the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC). See also Community Care Access Centre

CCACs are agencies funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care that assist people in need of Home and community care services, including admission into Long-Term Care (LTC) Homes. There are 14 CCACs in Ontario. There is an application process that must be completed by all applicants for placement into a LTC Home. CCAC Case Managers/Placement Coordinators authorize all placements in a LTC Home for both long-stay and short-stay admissions and arrange Home care services. See also Approved Short Stay Beds

A complaint may include one concern or a number of different concerns relating to the care of a resident or the operation of a Long-Term Care (LTC) Home. Complaints are assessed to determine whether there is a possible non-compliance with the LTCHA or its regulation.  The information is reviewed to determine the risk to residents and inspections are assigned based on those risks. If you have a concern or complaint about a Long-Term Care (LTC) Home, you are encouraged to call the Ministry's Action Line at 1-866-434-0144 to register your concern or complaint.

• Software that allows LTC homes to securely report critical incidents online to ministry compliance staff.
• In the past, critical incidentsreports were paper-based, which delayed response time.
• Now ministry compliance staff receives reports electronically as soon as they are submitted by the LTC home, allowing for a quicker response time. 
• As well, the ministry has a greater capability to analyze critical incident data at one home and across LTC homes to help identify trends and information that can be used to improve the inspection process.
• Implemented across all LTC homes in Ontario as of April 2008.

Elderly Capital Assistance Program beds were established in Northern Ontario communities with capital assistance from the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. These beds are operated and funded by local hospitals and were built as additions to existing hospitals or as free-standing Homes operated by local hospitals.

• A collaborative website and electronic tablets (like a laptop) that, at a glance, show the user all historical inspection data for a particular LTC home.  This provides one repository for LTC home information, rather than searching various databases and paper files.
• Compliance staff will use their tablets to prepare for inspections , as well as note taking while in the homes.
• This tool provides compliance staff with data on potential risks and trends within the homes.
• It allows compliance to develop inspection reports electronically.

An autonomous (self-led and self-determining) group of families and friends of residents that meets on a regular basis with an emphasis on mutual support and advocacy. This group provides a voice in decisions that affect their loved ones and strives to develop a better understanding between families and management/staff of a Long-Term Care Home. Sometimes this group is known by other terms such as family advisory committee. See also Residents' Council

The physical layout of the rooms within a Long-Term Care (LTC) Home. LTC Homes are built to design standards set by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. These standards have changed over time. Design standards specify minimum room sizes, maximum numbers of beds per room, washroom facilities, corridor widths and many other criteria. These standards are intended to ensure that the physical layout of a Home is the best way to care for the residents while still providing a comfortable, Home -like setting. While older Homes may not meet more recent design standards, they must still provide the same care as new Homes. The building layout is only a part of the overall residents' experience; other factors such as location, setting, culture and atmosphere also influence a resident's experience in an LTC Home. See also Accommodation

An inspection by one or more inspectors of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to determine compliance with the Long Term Care Homes Act, 2007 (LTCHA) and Ontario Regulation 79/10 under the LTCHA. LTC Home inspectors inspect each LTC Home at least once a year. There are different types of inspections: post-occupancy for new Homes, complaint, critical incident, follow up and comprehensive inspections.

The total number of beds within a Long-Term Care Home that have either been licensed or approved by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007.

A Long-Term Care (LTC) Home provides care and services for people who need 24 hour nursing care, and/or assistance with activities of daily living and/or 24-hour monitoring to ensure their safety or well-being.  LTC Homes are licensed or approved under and governed by the Long Term Care Homes Act, 2007 (LTCHA) and Ontario Regulation 79/10, the legislative authority for safeguarding resident rights, improving the quality of care and improving the accountability of LTC Homes for the care, treatment and well-being of residents.

Is an abbreviation of Long-Term Care.

Is an abbreviation for Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007.

The Long-Term Care Quality Inspection Program (LQIP) (formerly Compliance Management Program) is designed to safeguard residents’ rights, safety and security and the quality of care provided to residents and to create a culture that is focused on good outcomes for residents.  LQIP safeguards residents’ well-being by continuously following up on complaints and concerns, investigating critical incidents, and by ensuring that all Homes are inspected at least once per year.

Some Long-Term Care (LTC) Home operators retain a management firm to manage the day-to-day operations in their Home. The name of the management firm is listed in the Home Profile section of Reports on Long-Term Care Homes only if the LTC Home operator has chosen a management firm to manage their Home. This term does not include service firms or contractors who only manage specific services in a Home such as maintenance or food services.

A government official appointed as an inspector to inspect Long-Term Care (LTC) Homes to ensure compliance with the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 (LTCHA) and Ontario Regulation 79/10 under that Act, which is the legislation and regulations governing these Homes. LTC Home Inspectors have inspection powers under the LTCHA.

Stands for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

The licensee is the person [corporation, municipality, partnership or sole proprietor] who is the holder of a license for a LTC Home, under the LTCHA. This is the person(s) who must comply with the legislation, regulations, standards and policies relating to the operation of a Home.

This is accommodation in either a semi-private or private room. The Long-Term Care (LTC) operator may charge additional accommodation costs of up to $8.00 per day for semi-private and $18.00 per day for private rooms. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care mandates that no more than 60 per cent of the beds in a LTC Home may be preferred accommodation beds. See also Accommodation, Home  Structure, Private Room and Semi-Private Room

Unless the room has been designated as ‘standard’ by the Licensee, in Long-Term Care (LTC) Homes built after 1998, a private bedroom is a room with one bed and a private ensuite washroom. In LTC Homes built before 1998, a private room is a room with one bed that may have a private or shared washroom. See also Home  Structure, Preferred Accommodation and Semi-Private Room

• All LTC residents are assessed upon admission to a long-term care (LTC) home, using a software tool called the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI), and then at every 3 months (each quarter) or when there is a significant change in condition.
• RAI-MDS is a set of screening questions that focus on 16 key aspects of a resident’s health.  It also incorporates the resident’s strengths, preferences and needs.
• The questions provide a structured way to build a comprehensive picture of the resident’s health and well-being status.
• The questions are completed by gathering information from the resident’s entire care team.
• This software tool helps manage:
• Resident assessments
• Resident care planning
• Clinical care improvements, and
• Resource management with a LTC home.
• Trained assessors are able to identify potential risks sooner (e.g., prevalence of weight loss), and modify a resident’s care plan accordingly.
• Individual assessments can be rolled up to a LTC home-level and LTC sector-level to identify larger trends.  This perspective allows LTC homes and the sector to take a more proactive approach to resident care.

An independent, self-determining group made up of residents in a Long-Term Care (LTC) Home. All residents are entitled to be members. The Residents' Council may have an elected Executive. It meets regularly to receive and discuss residents' concerns, to plan activities, and to have a voice in their Home’s decisions and routines that affect their daily lives.  The LTC Home is required to support and have a Residents' Council. See also Family Council

Unless the room has been designated as ‘standard’ by the Licensee, in Long-Term Care (LTC) Homes built after 1998, a semi-private bedroom is a room with one bed connected to another room with one bed by an ensuite washroom. In LTC Homes built before 1998, a semi-private room is a room with two beds. See also Home  Structure, Preferred Accommodation and Private Room

In Long-Term Care (LTC) Homes built after 1998, a standard bedroom is a room with one or two beds that affords privacy to each resident and a shared washroom. In LTC Homes built before 1998, a standard bedroom is a room with three or more beds. A standard room may also be a room with two beds that is occupied by spouses on or after April 1, 2011 for as long as the room continues to be occupied by spouses.  A LTC Home operator can designate any type of room as a ‘standard’ room.  Under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 at least 40 per cent of the beds in a LTC Home must be available at the basic accommodation rate. LTC Home operators must not charge more than the regulated maximum government basic accommodation rate for a standard bedroom. A resident paying the basic accommodation rate may be eligible for a rate reduction, dependent on specific criteria. See Accommodation and Accommodation Costs.

The person that has the legal authority to make decisions relating to personal care issues and/or property matters on behalf of a resident who is not capable of making and understanding the consequences of his or her decisions.