Nearly 200 new long term care spaces coming to Dufferin

March 25, 2021 · 0 Comments

Written By Sam Odrowski

Increased capacity for long term care is coming to Dufferin County

A brand-new long-term care home is being built at 515 Broadway, Orangeville that will feature 192 new spaces and is expected to begin accepting residents in 2023.

The home will be called Headwaters Long-Term Care Residence by Primacare Living and will have a campus care model.

“The number of residents in Dufferin-Caledon who will need long-term care is expected to rise over the next decade,” said MPP Sylvia Jones. “Today’s announcement will help ensure that we have safe and comfortable LTC beds, close to home, for those who need it.”

There are currently three long-term care homes in Dufferin: Avalon Care Centre (137 beds), Dufferin Oaks (160 beds), and Shelburne Long-Term Care (60 beds), totalling almost 360 beds, so the addition of 192 beds will account for more than a 50 per cent increase in system-wide capacity.

In addition to modernizing the long-term care sector, the recently announced long-term care projects are expected to reduce waitlists and assist with ending hallway medicine.

As of Dec. 2020, more than 40,000 Ontarians were on waitlists to access a long-term care bed.

The new home that’s coming to Orangeville is one of 80 new long-term care projects that will lead to an additional 7,510 new and almost 4,200 upgraded long-term care spaces.

This addition of long-term care spaces will cost $933 million and are part of Province’s 10-year plan for creating 30,000 new long-term spaces in Ontario.

Out of the 80 new projects, Orangeville is one of 18 that will create campuses of care and provide new spaces for Indigenous, Francophone and other cultural community residents.

Province-wide, the investments in the sector also support key government priorities, including eliminating three and four bed ward rooms, particularly in the era of COVID-19.

In terms of direct care, Ontario has committed to an average of four hours per day for individuals in long term care homes. It’s important to note, Ontario is the first province in Canada to take this step.

“Our loved ones in long-term care deserve a comfortable, modern place to live, near family and friends, with the support they need when they need it,” said Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care.

“These new and upgraded spaces, built to modern design standards, will help prevent and contain the transmission of infectious diseases and ensure residents have access to the care they need in a safe and secure environment.”

The criteria for selecting the newly announced projects include:

• Upgrading older homes in response to lessons learned around improved Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) measures, particularly the elimination of three and four-bed rooms;

• Adding spaces to areas where there is high need;

• Addressing the growing needs of diverse groups, including Francophone and Indigenous communities; and/or,

• Promoting campuses of care to better address the specialized care needs of residents.

With the allocation for 80 long-term care projects, Ontario has 20,161 new and 15,918 redevelopment spaces in the development pipeline for long-term care.