Toronto/IBNS: Ontario's Long-term care residents are being connected by the government to improve residents’ quality of life and to reduce avoidable emergency department visits or hospital stays, a news release has reported.

“Ontario is fixing long-term care…By providing faster and more convenient access to diagnostic services…avoidable emergency department visits and in-patient hospital admissions, helping long-term care residents live happier and healthier lives,” said Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care said in the news release.

To begin with, the province is partnering on pilot projects with Humber River Hospital in Toronto and Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie to spike access to more diagnostic services for long-term care residents, including assessment, diagnostic testing as well as timely interpretation of their results.

In the next step, the province will partner with hospitals and community labs to provide faster and more convenient access to care for all long-term care residents across Ontario including finding innovative ways to connect residents with services inside their long-term care home, instead of travelling to a hospital or clinic.

“Our government believes in…These investments will ensure long-term care residents can maintain their quality of life, spend more time in their community with loved ones, and avoid unnecessary trips to the hospital,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

The province is also making significant investments in specialized services for residents with complex needs by building nearly 60,000 much-needed new and upgraded long-term care beds in the province by 2028, and strengthening staffing to reach our goal of providing an average of four hours of direct care per resident per day by 2025.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)