Ontario Launches Pilot to Fix Long-Term Care Cultural Placement Issues

The project aims to address mismatched admissions caused by a 2022 law prioritizing hospital discharges over cultural preferences.

Ontario's pilot project seeks to amend long-term care priority rules to better support cultural placements for seniors.
The initiative responds to criticisms of Bill 7, which led to seniors being placed in homes not aligned with their cultural backgrounds.
More than 6,000 people are on the crisis waitlist, primarily consisting of hospital patients awaiting long-term care placement.
Advocates argue that culturally appropriate placements improve the quality of life for seniors, especially those with dementia.
The pilot will be time-limited and involve specific homes, allowing the government to assess its effectiveness before potential expansion.