• What is Ontario’s Aging at Home Strategy?
• How will the Aging at Home Strategy assist seniors to live independently at home longer?
• How is this different from what’s currently being done?
• What is the role of the LHINs in planning and implementing the Aging at Home Strategy?
• How did the ministry allocate Aging at Home funding to the LHINs?
• Home care services are available to people who meet the eligibility criteria, including, people who are discharged from hospitals. Will home care services continue for those who hope to remain in their own homes?
• Is the Aging at Home Strategy targeted at seniors only? Will programs for younger people with disabilities be eligible?
• Will seniors be able to access the same care/services regardless of where they live in Ontario?
• Where can seniors get information about services?
• If a LHIN determines that additional long-term care (LTC) beds are a priority, can the Aging at Home funding be used for this purpose?
• Does the Aging at Home Strategy have measurable goals? How will the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term care know that the project was successful?
• The new Aging at Home Strategy calls for a lot more services to seniors. Is the government also planning to increase funding to other areas such as education and training to ensure that there are enough qualified health care workers to deliver these increased services?

On August 28, 2007, the government of Ontario launched a $1.1 billion (over four years) initiative designed to allow seniors to live healthy, independent lives in the comfort and dignity of their own homes.

Most seniors want to continue living at home, whether it is in a private home, condominium complex, an apartment or other living arrangements. The Aging at Home Strategy will work towards matching the needs of seniors and their caregivers with the appropriate local support services and avoid the unnecessary loss of independence and dignity due to premature admission to higher care long-term care homes or hospitals. The Aging at Home Strategy is of critical importance, both for its potential to improve the lives of Ontario seniors, and also because it will help ensure the sustainability of the overall health system.

The Aging at Home Strategy will increase traditional services that help seniors to stay healthy and live in their homes, such as community support services, home care, assistive devices, assisted living services/supportive housing, long-term care beds and end-of-life care. The Aging at Home Strategy breaks new ground in the care and support of seniors with its focus on innovation – finding new ways to provide the supports and services seniors require in order to spend more of their final years living where they want, the way that they want.

The goals of the Aging at Home Strategy are: ensuring that seniors’ homes support them; that seniors have supportive social environments; that senior-centered care is easy to access; and identifying innovative solutions to keep seniors healthy.

What sets the Aging at Home Strategy apart is its blend of traditional services with new practices. The Aging at Home Strategy has a strong focus on innovation and presents an exciting opportunity for Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) to create a new approach to an integrated continuum of community-based services. As the LHINs continue assuming more responsibility for planning, managing and funding health care at the local level, this is the first initiative of this magnitude to be led by them. Each LHIN is required to allocate a minimum of 20 per cent of the funding throughout the three years to deliver innovative approaches such as non-traditional providers of services, and new preventive and wellness service approaches. Innovation proposals must either be evidence-based or, where untested, build in an evaluation component.

Each LHIN is engaging their community to develop a plan, within their funding allocation, to achieve an integrated system of community–based services. LHINs are employing a variety of activities such as reviewing research and planning reports, looking at experience from other jurisdictions, and holding local forums with seniors and their caregivers, and service providers. LHIN-identified Aging at Home services will be implemented beginning in 2008-09 through to 2010-11.

For each senior resident of a LHIN, the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care considered age, gender, socio-economic status and rural geography, along with health status, in order to estimate demand for services. Accordingly, Aging at Home allocations vary across the LHINs. Estimates also differ depending on population growth patterns for seniors and the types of seniors who live in each LHIN and current service levels in each LHIN (i.e., a particular LHIN may have a greater share of younger, healthier seniors).

The Aging at Home Strategy will expand existing services such as community support services, home care and assisted living services/supportive housing to serve more seniors with chronic conditions to help them remain at home and avoid unnecessary visits to emergency departments, and avoid or delay admission to a LTC home.

The Aging at Home Strategy is targeted to seniors who are dealing with age-related health conditions or age-related disabilities. Consideration should also be given to services, programs and supports that allow family, friends and neighbors to continue caring for seniors in the community.

The goal of the Aging at Home Strategy is to increase the mix and quantity of health and community services in each community according to their need. Since the LHIN service plans will be determined by local needs, accordingly, services will vary across the province.

For current services, seniors should continue to contact established points of contact for service, information, and referral (e.g. Community Care Access Centres). For new, upcoming services resulting from the Aging at Home Strategy, please contact your local LHIN office.

Yes. LHINS will identify their local needs, which could include LTC beds, in their local plans. The LHIN plans, however, must be guided by the principles and goals of the Aging at Home Strategy, which all aim to increase seniors’ ability to stay healthy, and live with dignity and independence at home. If the LHIN plan includes additional LTC beds, the approval or licensing of these additional beds will have to be addressed through the ministry’s approval and licensing process.

The ministry and LHINs are developing an evaluation plan and performance measures for the Aging at Home Strategy. Expected results include an increase in the overall supply (quantity/range) of services available to seniors; relieving pressures on hospitals and long-term care by helping to find more appropriate placements for patients; avoiding crisis through proactive wellness approaches and improved respect for seniors’ rights to dignity and independence.

Through HealthForce Ontario, the government has already committed to a strategy that includes initiatives to :

• Keep our health care professionals and students in the province
• Encourage young people to consider careers in health care
• Attract internationally-educated health care providers to Ontario
• Match people to jobs
• Develop new professional roles, and
• Develop innovative ways for health care professional to work together to deliver health services

The government will continue to explore other ways to support the education and training of appropriate workers to strengthen the Aging at Home Strategy.

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