Home care can ease pressure on overcrowded hospitals

Re Province warned hospitals are ‘on the brink,’ Dec. 13 Your recent story on hospital overcrowding states that hospital funding has “taken a back seat” to home and community care, but that’s simply not the case.

Although the government has made important investments in home and community care in recent years, they have been comparatively small.

In fact, the majority of not-for-profit home and community-care providers haven’t received increases to their operational funding in years.

Hospital funding makes up a full third of Ontario’s health budget. By contrast, home care makes up 5 per cent and community support is only 2 per cent. Each of these numbers has increased by less than a percentage point since 2008-09.

We agree with the Ontario Hospital Association that frail seniors are spending far too much time in hospitals. Home and community care reduces that strain by helping seniors live safely and independently for as long as possible.

To address hospital overcrowding, the government should redouble its efforts to support home and community care, not pull back.

In 2016, Canadian seniors outnumbered children for the first time in census history.

Now, more than ever, hospitals, long-term care and home and community care providers must act in the best interests of our patients and work together to strengthen the entire health system. Deborah Simon, CEO, Ontario Community Support Association, Toronto