Services for adults living with both chronic health and social challenges are often fragmented, leaving clients and their families exhausted as they try to navigate a complex and disjointed system. All too often, people are falling through the cracks and are seen as “transactions” by different parts by a system siloed by bureaucratic barriers. As a result, families are unsupported and living on the breaking point.
In Durham Region nearly 27,000 older adults are living with frailty. Frailty leads to increased hospitalization and lost independence. Over 2,300 Durham residents are currently on the waitlist for long-term care, with an average wait time of 578 days. A third of them are living alone. Demand for long-term care is expected to rise by 38% over the next decade.
We need a better solution. Solutions that put people first and are fiscally sustainable.
OneConnect provides a cost-effective solution to help older adults age in place while maintaining their independence and quality of life. Our proposed model will provide clients and their caregivers a comprehensive range of health and social supports through a single integrated program. Instead of chasing services, OneConnect wraps around the client and moves supports seamlessly as their needs change.
Not only will OneConnect reduce hospitalizations and prevent long-term care admissions, it will cost Ontario’s taxpayers less than half of what it costs to provide care in long-term care. Rather than building another new long-term care home in Durham, we are asking government to fund “long-term care at home” for 150 local residents.
The “made in Durham” solution will put our region at the forefront of healthy aging innovation in Ontario. Now is the time for us to lead the way in making this the community we want to age in.
