Learn more about care for Seniors in:
Private Homes
Retirement Homes
Nursing Homes
Hospitals

Care for Seniors in Retirement Homes:

We are often asked to provide care for seniors who live in Retirement Homes or Seniors Residences (including in the Assisted Living areas).

Many of our Clients happily chose to move to a Residence at a time when they were able to participate in the various social and physical activities offered.

We are usually called on to become involved when there has been a change in the health status of the Resident, a visit to the hospital, or an incident, such as a fall, that highlights the need for care.

Retirement Homes and Seniors Residences operate under the Landlord Tenant Act and are not regulated by the Ontario Government. These “Senior’s Apartments” often also have a floor or wing which they promote as providing Assisted Living - i.e.: care provided by caregivers who are employees of Home or Residence.

We have very positive relationships with the Retirement Residences where our Clients live. We are, however, independent of the Home or Residence. We answer directly to our Clients and their families. This independence allows us, when necessary, to advocate on behalf of our clients.

Our goal is to assist our Clients to be as safe and independent as possible. We are often successful in  helping our Clients find a way to continue to take meals in the main dining rooms with their friends, and to continue to attend and enjoy participating in many of the activities and programs that attracted them to the Residence in the first place.

We also assist Seniors who are residents in Retirement Homes with a range of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) including bathing, dressing and toileting.

Below are the steps we take when arranging Senior care in Retirement Homes and Residences.

1. During the initial phone inquiry we’ll ask:

• Who you are calling about (friend, relative etc.), their age, recent health issues, mobility, medications, (we currently provide care throughout the GTA) and the name of the Retirement Home or Residence.
• If there has been a recent physical change such as a rapid loss of weight, a fall(s), surgery, a sudden change in cognitive status etc..
• What your key concerns are and what would you like the outcome to be.
• If the Senior requiring care is competent and “on board” - prepared to accept care? How soon you want to have care in place.
• And more.

  Most often a Registered Nurse will be available to talk with when you call. If none is available, a Registered Nurse will review the notes taken when you first called, and call you to follow up within one hour.

2. Assessment by a Registered Nurse.

• If you and the Registered Nurse (see above) agree that it would be helpful to go the next step, a no-charge, no-obligation on site assessment will be arranged.
• This assessment allows the Registered Nurse to meet with the Senior requiring care and assess their condition from a Registered Nurse in the community point of View.
• The Nurse will often talk with the Director of Care and other healthcare professionals at the site to ensure that she has as complete a picture of the situation as possible.
• The assessment also provides an opportunity for you and the family, or anyone else involved in care decisions to have any questions they might have, answered.

  Note: All assessments are conducted by a Registered Nurse.

3. Care plan - proposed by the Registered Nurse:

• The plan will include identifying desired outcomes and the responsibilities of the caregivers.
• The Nurse will propose a schedule for care, including duration and frequency of shifts.
• A Registered Nurse will be assigned to Case Manage all care. The Registered Nurse will be your key contact person and will be involved with selecting the appropriate caregivers and supervising all care. She will also personally visit the Client on a regular basis
• The Registered Nurse Case Manager will liaise with the Client’s Doctor(s), Pharmacist and other healthcare professionals, coordinate the care we provide, and advocate for our Client.

  There is no added fee for Case Management by the Registered Nurse

 4. The care agreement:

• You will be asked to sign a care agreement that, in essence, says that you are hiring us to provide care and have agreed to our rate. There is no additional fee for the involvement of the RN Case Manager.
• You are not locked into a set number of weeks or number of hours per week (although the minimum for an individual shift is 4 hours).
• Invoices can be paid by cheque or electronically thought any of the major banks.

5. Care begins:

• With the agreement signed the assigned Registered Nurse Case Manager will identify caregivers with the appropriate skill set, personality and availability, schedule staff and implement the plan of care.
• You can relax. All our caregivers are employees of Eldercare Home Health. All staff are insured, bonded and covered by WSIB. We handle all payroll, government remittances etc.
•  Note: For Clients who have also been able to access care through their Community Care Access Center (CCAC). We will coordinate the care Eldercare Home Health provides so that it complements this care. Care through CCAC is usually focused on bathing and, from our experience, is generally offered as 1 - 2 one hour shifts per week.

  Note: For Clients who have also been able to access care through their Community Care Access Center (CCAC) - we will coordinate the care Eldercare Home Health provides so that it complements this care. Care for Seniors through CCAC is usually focused on bathing, and from our experience, is generally offered as 1 - 2, one hour shifts per week.

  *Rates subject to change.