Older adults live best at home and in their communities.
Home and Community Support Services enable older adults to live at home and in their community, where they want to be.
There is a critical need to improve home and community support services across the province.
The Critical Need
The Volunteer Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted volunteer engagement across communities, leading to a pronounced volunteer crisis. Many organizations are facing an acute shortage of volunteers, as health concerns, changing priorities, and the loss of traditional recruitment avenues have resulted in dwindling participation.
This decline not only impacts the delivery of essential services but also highlights the need for innovative strategies to re-engage and recruit volunteers. As communities work towards recovery, addressing this crisis is crucial for sustaining vital programs and fostering social cohesion.
The Volunteer Challenge
A reduction in the number of volunteers is endangering the sustainability of many CSS services such as Meals on Wheels, Transportation and Friendly Visiting.
The persistent wage gap between the home and community care sector and other health sectors poses a significant challenge in recruiting and retaining qualified professionals.
Skilled professionals, who choose to work in this sector, will earn considerably less than their peers in other healthcare domains.
The Wage Gap
Supporting Our Workforce
The wage disparity not only undervalues the essential work that home and community care PSWs perform but also stifles the sector from attracting and retaining the talent it needs.
Bridging the
Digital Divide
Over the past year, the province has initiated several initiatives to advance the sector’s digital infrastructure, including the creation of A Roadmap to Digitally Enable Aging in Place and completing a CHRIS platform review.
Funding is needed for individual home and community care organizations to support things like licensure, cyber protection and upgrade legacy systems.
This investment into individual service providers would strengthen Ontario's health care system, leading to improved outcomes for all.
The perception that providing care in the community is less demanding than in institutional settings is simply incorrect. Over the past decade, there has been a notable increase in the acuity level of clients in the community.
We have more individuals returning home and living in communities with higher medical needs making it imperative that we provide the appropriate compensation and operation support to our health professionals in home and community care needs.
The Misperception
The Growing Need
With Ontario’s 80+ population projected to more than double by 2040, the government needs to take urgent action to ensure that the home and community care sector is adequately funded and resourced to provide Ontarians with healthcare where and how they prefer to receive it – at home and in their communities, delivered by trained professionals.
As the population ages we will need to make room for an additional 23,000 home and community care clients annually, just to keep 76% of people aged 75 years or older at home and in community.
Raise awareness on social media.
Drag and drop one of these prepared social posts,
or share your own message with the hashtag #CareThatsNeeded
We need greater investment in Home & Community Support Services for a better future for all.
Make a difference and start the conversation.
Connect with your local MPP.
Ask them to commit to investing in home and community support services. Ask questions, send a letter, or post on social media.
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