Aging At Home Strategy Expands In Waterloo Region

Ontario Government Helping More Seniors Get Health Care At Home

Waterloo Region - Ontario is ensuring more seniors in Waterloo Region can get health care at home or in their community by expanding the successful Aging at Home strategy.

Aging At Home programs provide health care services to seniors in the comfort and dignity of their own homes. It permits Ontario’s seniors to lead healthy and independent lives while avoiding unnecessary visits to hospitals, which can ultimately reduce ER wait times.

This year, Ontario is providing $18,718,537 to fund 21 Aging at Home programs in Waterloo Region and Wellington County. Seniors in Waterloo Region will benefit from programs like:

* Linking Survivors with Survivors, Ontario March of Dimes
* Palliative Care Teams, Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre (WWCCAC)
* Expanded Attendant Outreach, Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region
* Overnight Weekday Respite Care, Sunnyside Home

The Aging at Home strategy is a key part of the government’s Open Ontario Plan to provide more access to health care services while improving quality and accountability for patients.

“Our government is reducing the time Ontarians spend in hospital by ensuring more services are available to seniors at home and in their community. Seniors in Waterloo Region are receiving the important community-based services to ensure they have the quality of life they deserve at home.”

- John Milloy, MPP, Kitchener Centre

“Today's announcement is evidence of the Ontario government's commitment to providing first rate health care to our community of Kitchener-Conestoga", said Leeanna Pendergast, MPP, Kitchener-Conestoga. "The creation of these additional beds for the transitional care program means that we will have more services to offer patients and the benefits of this investment will open up more space to treat patients quicker."

“In Waterloo Wellington, we have witnessed numerous success stories with our local Aging at Home initiatives and I want to take this opportunity to recognize the local health service providers who are instrumental in making these programs so successful,” said Kathy Durst, Chair, WWLHIN Board. “The programs can be found across the WWLHIN – border to border. We saw numerous partnerships among the providers as they worked together to develop and implement these important services to our senior residents. The transition program which we are highlighting today is one such service.”

* Assisting seniors to live independently at home helps to shorten wait times at hospitals and improve patient flow in emergency rooms.
* Ontario is increasing funding for the Aging at Home program by $143.4 million this year.
* Ontario’s senior population will double within 20 years.