LEVIN: CARE CAMPUS, A SMART IDEAS IN RESIDENTIAL HOUSING

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There was a standout moment during the Toronto City Council election campaign debate that just ended. John Torrey’s fellow mayoral candidate, Chloe Brown, submitted an idea for a Campus of Care. She explained that this is like a community within a community where seniors in Ontario can grow old in the place, surrounded by the services and medical facilities they need.

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Never unfaithful, Mayor Torrey responded to his opponents in a way that many politicians do not. Rather than dismissing or cheating on her idea, he said that her Campus of Care concept “is actually worth further consideration.”

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Thank you, Mayor Tori. We couldn’t agree more. This would be a welcome addition to Toronto’s progressive seniors strategy.

There is no fixed definition of a campus of care for the elderly. In all cases, however, they co-locate community-based health and social support facilities with various housing models such as assisted living, affordable housing, retirement homes and long-term care. increase.

Some have shops, hair salons, restaurants and clinics. You can have a library, community center, or pub. It is often designed to be pedestrian friendly as mobility is of paramount importance to the elderly, especially during the winter months.

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These special communities are key pieces of the puzzle to solve the overwhelming age-old desires of Ontario residents.

Dozens of members operate campuses focused on specific cultural communities, such as Au Chateau, which serves the French-speaking community of Sturgeon Falls, and Shalom Village, which serves the Jewish population of Hamilton. I’m here. These homes cater to people from specific communities by providing accessible food and sometimes language that is particularly comforting to those with dementia.

They are integrated to provide more person-centred care that can avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and delay or prevent LTC hospitalizations.

At its best, the Campus of Care promotes positive aging. They can stimulate participation, social inclusion and support networks. They can be attractive partners for businesses, faith groups, schools and universities. They are beacons of volunteerism and places where a new generation of healthcare workers, clinicians and researchers can be trained.

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A pioneer in the field, Simcoe County has a flagship campus in Penetangishene and is developing a new campus at Simcoe Village and Manor in Beaton. This includes outdoor recreation options for seniors living independently in the community. In this way, the campus acts as a beacon.

Our organization thinks they are such a good idea that they led the first Canadian academic research paper on the subject.

So it’s good that Chloe Brown brought them up, and it’s good that Mayor Tory acknowledged them when he saw the transformative idea. It’s about making sure the campus works as intended. In other words, it facilitates the movement of seniors from campus housing to adjacent long-term care when they need more care. With the current long-term care admissions process, this is rare. Older people often have to move to another house in the city or town.

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Specifically, it asks states to change the rules so that campuses can reserve 20% of all LTC beds on each campus for residents who already live in those communities. This is required.

Without it, you are wasting an opportunity to promote the continuum of care that the campus naturally promotes.

For the campus to be successful, the state must participate so that it can operate as intended. It doesn’t cost you a dime and can actually save your system money.

Elections are signals for renewal. It is an era full of hope.

We hope that Mayor Torrey and other local government leaders across the state will embrace this important concept and work with Prime Minister Doug Ford and his Cabinet to remove the barriers that are preventing its spread.

— Lisa Levin is CEO of AdvantAge Ontario. AdvantAge Ontario is a provincial association representing more than 400 non-profit, charitable, municipal and hospital-related long-term care facilities, senior housing, assisted living assisted living and community service agencies.