Long-term facilities-based care

What is long-term facilities-based care?

In general, long-term care facilities provide living accommodation for people who require on-site delivery of 24 hour, 7 days a week supervised care, including professional health services, personal care and services such as meals, laundry and housekeeping.

Long-term facilities-based care is not publicly insured under the Canada Health Act. It is governed by provincial and territorial legislation. Across the country, jurisdictions offer a different range of services and cost coverage. Consequently, there is little consistency across Canada in:

• what facilities are called (e.g. nursing home, personal care facility, residential continuing care facility, etc.);
• the level or type of care offered and how it is measured; and
• how facilities are governed or who owns them.

Health Canada's role

Health Canada is engaged in research and policy analysis on long-term facilities-based care issues including:

• population aging;
• models of facilities-based care;
• quality of care and quality of life;
• changing complex care needs of residents;
• access and affordability; and
• human resource issues.