As an agency which provides home care assistance to seniors and others in their own homes, we frequently receive calls from family members who have a loved one currently in hospital and the family has just recently been advised that their loved one is being discharged… “tomorrow”!
Traditionally, a loved one requiring hospitalization results in a great deal of family stress and often a short notice of discharge compounds the problems and stress levels.
With an aging demographic, the number of Canadians 75 and over is expected to rise from 875,000 to 2.2 million by 2036, it behooves any family having an aging loved-one to consider their options in advance.
Many families ask who will care for their loved one after discharge and frequently the answer is a Long-Term Care (LTC) facility. Unfortunately, many these facilities have lengthy waiting lists often with wait times of weeks in a location not desirable by the family or their loved one.
Jane Meadus, in an article published by the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly with the title of “Discharge from Hospital to Long-Term Care: Issues in Ontario”, writes;
Families are told that they must comply with the hospital policy. “These policies may “require” the patient or substitute decision-maker (SDM) to select possible LTC homes from a “short list” where a bed is or will soon be available. If they do not comply with the policy, the hospital threatens to charge the uninsured daily rate which ranges anywhere from $500.00 to $1,500.00 or more per day.”
Jane Meadus
Living Assistance Services, an Ontario home care agency, is one of the options available to care recipients and their families and we are ready, willing and able to help on a full or part time basis.
We welcome your call, if only for advice, going forward.