​

Ontario’s Guide to the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 and Regulation 79/10 establishes the following rights for residents.  We have selected a few rights to highlight but the entire Guide is readily available on-line for anyone wanting to protect the rights of a resident. 
 

• Every resident, his or her substitute decision-maker and persons designated by either of them must be given an opportunity to participate fully in developing and implementing the resident’s plan of care.

• Every resident must be bathed, at a minimum, twice a week by the method of his or her choice and more frequently as determined by his or her hygiene requirements, unless contraindicated by a medical condition.

• Every resident must be assisted with getting dressed as required. The resident must be dressed appropriately for the time of day and in keeping with his or her preferences, in his or her own clean clothing and appropriate clean footwear.

• Restorative care approaches must be integrated into all the care provided to residents and must be co-ordinated to ensure that each resident is able to maintain or improve his or her functional and cognitive capacities in all aspects of living, to the extent of his or her abilities.

• The Home must establish a Residents’ Council and only residents may be members. The Residents’ Council has the power to: advise residents about their rights and obligations under the LTCHA; advise residents about the rights and obligations of the Home; attempt to resolve disputes between the Home and residents.

 

• The Home may have a Family Council. If there is no Family Council, a family member or person of importance to a resident may request the establishment of a Family Council. If there is no Family Council, the Home must advise residents’ families and persons of importance on an ongoing basis of their right to establish a Family Council and must convene semi-annual meetings to advise these persons of this right.

  • The Family Council can: advise residents, family members of residents and persons of importance to residents about the rights and obligations of the Home under the LTCHA and under any agreement relating to the Home and attempt to resolve disputes between the Home and residents.

  • The Family Council also can review, – inspection reports and summaries received under section 149 of the LTCHA, funding under the LTCHA and the Local Health System Integration Act, 2006 and amounts paid by residents, – the financial statements related to the Home filed with the Director under the Regulation and with the LHIN.

 

CFUW recommendations compiled following a province wide survey of 1,272 participants:

​

• Residents should be entitled to 4 hours of care daily by December 2022 and should not have to wait until 2024.

 

• The staff at LTC residences should have the option of full-time employment with benefits including paid sick days.

 

• The Province should conduct annual, unannounced, onsite inspections with fines enforced for violations.

 

• Long Term Care is an integral part of health care and should not be profit-driven.