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Observations on Institutional Long-Term Care in Ontario: 1996–2002*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Whitney Berta*
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Audrey Laporte
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Vivian Valdmanis
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to: / Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être addressées à : Whitney Berta, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Health Services Organization and Management, Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, McMurrich Building, 2nd Floor, 12 Queen's Park Crescent, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8. (whit.berta@utoronto.ca)

Abstract

We provide descriptive statistics for data collected via the Residential Care Facilities Survey (RCFS), from long-term care (LTC) facilities operating in Ontario between 1996 and 2002. The LTC sector in Ontario is dominated by large, proprietary for-profit facilities. The proportion of residents receiving extended care has increased from 53 per cent in 1996 to over 61 per cent in 2002. Government-owned facilities are significantly larger than both for-profit proprietary facilities and lay non-profit facilities. Religious and lay non-profit facilities provide care to more residents 85 years of age and older than do for-profit and government-owned facilities, while government-owned facilities provide care to a greater proportion of higher needs residents. Government-owned facilities have higher nursing intensity levels and higher direct care staffing levels than other ownership types, while for-profit facilities have significantly lower levels than other facility types. Non-profit operators have higher ratios of administrative to care staff than proprietary and government-owned facilities.

Résumé

Nous fournissons des statistiques descriptives sur les données recueillies par l'entremise de l'Enquête sur les établissements de soins pour bénéficiaires internes menée auprès d'établissements de soins de longue durée (SLD) exploités en Ontario entre 1996 et 2002. En Ontario, le secteur des SLD est dominé par d'importants établissements privés à but lucratif. Le pourcentage de pensionnaires recevant des soins de longue durée a augmenté, passant de 53% en 1996 à plus de 61% en 2002. Les établissements de soins exploités par le secteur public sont beaucoup plus grands que les établissements privés à but lucratif et les établissements laïques sans but lucratif. Les établissements religieux et laïques sans but lucratif prennent en charge davantage de pensionnaires de 85 ans et plus que ne le font les établissements privés à but lucratif et les établissements publics ; ces derniers prodiguent des soins à un plus grand nombre de pensionnaires ayant des besoins aigus. Les niveaux d'intensité des soins infirmiers et le pourcentage de personnel affecté aux soins directs sont plus élevés dans les établissements publics que dans les autres types d'établissements et les établissements à but lucratif ont des niveaux très inférieurs aux autres. Les établissements sans but lucratif ont des ratios personnel administratif/personnel soignant £ supérieurs à ceux des établissements privés et publics.

Type
Other Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2005

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Footnotes

*

This paper is part of a project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). We extend our thanks to members of our project Advisory Committee, including Mr. Richard Trudeau, Mr. John Lohrenz, Ms. Krista Robinson, and Dr. Mary Beth Montcalm, for their insights and discussions that have contributed to this work. Our special thanks to Dr. Raisa Deber for her comments on an early draft of the paper, and to M-THAC for providing start-up funding for developing the research proposal ultimately funded by the SSHRC. We thank Ms. Ellen Schraa for her research assistance. The project has received approval from the University of Toronto Research Ethics Committee.

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