Yakabuski says funding initiative will increase staff at local long term care facilities

Long-term care homes in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke will receive more than $7 million from the provincial government as part of its plan to fix long-term care across the province. John Yakabuski, MPP for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, said this initiative will increase staffing levels to bring care standards up to four hours per day by 2024-25. “This funding will allow long-term care homes in our community to hire and retain more staff so they can provide more care to residents, every day,” he said. Above: MPP John Yakabuski chats with Donnie Palubetskie during a visit to Valley Manor Long Term Care in September 2020.

This will provide up to $673 million this year to long-term care homes across the province including $7,212,588 for long-term care homes in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke. These funds will increase care for residents at:

• Bonnechere Manor, in Renfrew, will receive up to $1,569,852 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.
• Caressant Care, in Cobden, will receive up to $558,168 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.
• Groves Park Lodge, in Renfrew, will receive up to $802,368 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.
• Marianhill Nursing Home, in Pembroke, will receive up to $1,212,276 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.
• Miramichi Lodge, in Pembroke, will receive up to $1,447,740 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.
• North Renfrew Long-Term Care, in Deep River, will receive up to $183,156 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.
• The Four Seasons Lodge, in Deep River, will receive up to $122,100 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.
• Grove Arnprior & District Nursing Home, in Arnprior, will receive up to $531,996 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.
• Valley Manor Nursing Home, in Barry’s Bay, will receive up to $784,932 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.

“We know that more qualified staff means more daily care for residents,” said Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care. “Hiring more staff is part of our government’s plan to fix long-term care and to improve the quality of care residents receive and the quality of life they experience.” 

Seniors entering long-term care today are older and have more complex medical needs than they did just a decade ago. The level of care residents need has increased dramatically, but the amount of care they receive each day has not. In the nine years, between 2009 and 2018, the amount of care each resident received, by all providers, per day increased by only 22 minutes. Our government, over the span of four years, will increase direct hours of care by 1 hour and 21 minutes.

The government is investing $4.9 billion over four years to boost direct resident care to an average of four hours daily by increasing care staff by more than 27,000 people. Hiring thousands of new staff at long-term homes and increasing the amount of care they deliver each year will be made possible by annual funding increases to homes:

• $270 million in 2021-22
• $673 million in 2022-23
• $1.25 billion in 2023-24
• $1.82 billion in 2024-25

Yakabuski,J.MPP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke(2022,Mar.17) Ontario Taking Action to Immediately Increase Staffing in LTC, Leading to More Direct Care for Residents in Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke [media release]