Community Support Providers Vital to Keeping Ontarians out of Hospital, Long-Term Care

TORONTO, Sept. 28, 2020 /CNW/ - The Alzheimer Society of Ontario welcomes the Government of Ontario's commitment to expand capacity in community-based health-care. Community support providers continue to be an efficient and lean alternative to hospital and long-term care for many Ontarians.

"Community support providers are a lifeline for Ontarians who want to continue living at home," said Cathy Barrick, Alzheimer Society of Ontario CEO. "Seniors living with dementia are at especially high risk of avoidable, lengthy hospital visits?making it more important than ever to support community-based dementia care."

Nearly 60% of Ontarians with a diagnosis of dementia live in the community, continuing to lead active lives. Yet far too often people living with dementia are unable to get the support they need at home, eventually reaching a crisis point that can result in a visit to the emergency room.

Community support services, including those offered by the Alzheimer Society, have been shown to both delay admission to long-term care and reduce preventable hospitalisations. As the province prepares for a second wave of Covid-19 cases and seeks to free up hospital capacity, community support providers are ready to do our part by keeping Ontarians where they want to be: at home.

SOURCE Alzheimer Society of Ontario