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Frequently Asked Questions: FAQs

The following represent some of the more frequently asked questions posed to social workers.

If you require a more detailed answer or need information specific to your needs, please call the social worker at Seniors Counselling and Referral, Baycrest Centre, (416) 785-2500, ext. 2223. A social worker will help you find an answer!

When is my parent ready for a nursing home?

Admission to a nursing home represents a major life event that requires the careful consideration of the individual applicant, her family members and health care providers. The social worker will ask the caller questions about her parent's health status, lifestyle, and emotional well-being. There may be community services that could provide in-home supports and there may be further assessments necessary in order to decide what type of care her parent requires. Together, the social worker will consult with the family member and where possible, the individual elder, to consider the question. If it seems that either nursing home placement or additional care is required, a referral will be made to the appropriate Community Care Access Centre (CCAC)

How do I get into Baycrest?

Most often callers are referring to the Apotex, Jewish Home for the Aged. The process involves various applications to be filled out by yourself and family members. Applications to all long-term care facilities in Ontario are handled through the Community Care Access Centres (CCAC) The CCAC worker will ask which facilities you are interested in and advise about services required and wait lists.

What if I can't afford to pay for Baycrest?

Baycrest rates are regulated by the Ontario government and our Hospital and Nursing Home fees are the same as all other similarly designated long-term care facilties. A Baycrest social worker in Seniors Counselling and Referral Service or the CCAC will help you look at your finances and explain how the fees work. Citizens of Ontario are not denied service because of an inability to pay.

What should I do about my older relative who is living alone and not doing very well?

The social worker will ask some questions in order to clarify what 'not doing well' means. Often an older individual may be having difficulty caring for himself or herself, shopping for groceries, cooking or managing medications. The social worker may discuss family supports, the meaning and importance of Power of Attorney and what type of help the individual would like. Together, they will establish if there is a crisis situation.

If it is a crisis, the social worker will ensure that the caller knows what steps to take and will follow through. A crisis might be where someone who is not well and is not answering the door or the phone and the caller does not have a key or the ability to get into the home.

If the situation is not a crisis, the caller will be provided with information on community resources such as CCAC, Baycrest Outreach Team, Circle of Care, or suggest further relevant resources.

What are the differences between the following care facilities?

• Retirement home 
• Supportive housing 
• Long-term care or nursing home 
• Hospital complex continuing care

In Ontario, these residential settings provide both accommodation and different levels of care for older adults based on their needs. Each setting offers different types of accommodations and varying levels of services.

Retirement Homes are wheelchair-accessible rental housing residences (without government-funded care or subsidized rent) with minimal to moderate levels of on-site support, such as meals, homemaking and personal care. Check the website for the Ontario Retirement Communities Association for listings of retirement homes.

Supportive Housing residences provide personal support and homemaking services. These may include personal support services such as bathing, and hygiene, homemaking services such as housekeeping and laundry, meals and recreational activities. The Terraces at Baycrest is a supportive housing complex.

Long-Term Care Homes are designed for people who require ongoing supervision and/or access to 24 hour nursing care and high levels of personal care. These are funded and regulated by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). The homes are owned and operated by various types of organizations. Nursing homes may be for profit or not-for-profit. Individual municipalities own municipal homes for the aged. All municipalities are required to operate a home for the aged in their area, either independently or in partnership with a neighbouring municipality.

Charitable homes are usually owned and operated by non-profit charities, such as faith, community, ethnic or cultural groups. The Apotex Jewish Home for the Aged is a Long-Term Care Home.

Complex Continuing Care facilities provide care for older patients with complex medical conditions in a non-acute hospital setting. The Baycrest Hospital, Ben and Hilda Katz Building provides complex continuing care.