City of Toronto is getting a new long-term care home in Scarborough by 2026 

There is good news in Scarborough, where a long-term care home is about to be constructed and slated to open by 2026. The Yee Hong Finch II long-term care home will be located at 4610 Finch Ave. East, and its purpose is to provide enough beds and homing standards to senior residents in order to address their needs. The project has already broken ground, and many other care homes are planned to be built in the area in the future. 

According to the province, this home is one of 67 long-term care home projects fast-tracked this fall with support from the Ontario government’s increased provincial construction funding subsidy. This is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to build more than 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds across the province.

The province says the new home will provide 224 new beds and as mentioned it is expected to welcome its first residents in spring 2026. The five-storey building will be part of a senior living complex located between the existing Yee Hong Finch Centre and Yee Hong Garden Terrace.

It will feature design improvements, including secured gardens and outdoor café seating, larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home. The design is centred around ‘resident home areas’, each of which creates a more intimate and familiar living space for up to 28 residents, with dining and activity areas, lounges and bedrooms.

“Yee Hong is proud to be one of the highest quality providers of culturally appropriate, person-centred seniors care in the GTA. This ground-breaking at our Finch continuum of care campus continues our partnership with the Ministry of Long-Term Care and our community partners to increase access to culturally appropriate seniors care across the GTA, said – Dr. San Ng Chief Executive Officer, Yee Hong Centre. “This milestone marks one of the significant ways Yee Hong is continuing to expand its impact, in a new home that will empower seniors as active community members – living their lives to the fullest with independence, health and dignity.”

Supporting the increasing aging population has become a necessity for governments to handle because it’s expected that the number of seniors will double by 2050, meaning they must be taken care of in proper housing facilities and by professionals. At the moment, responding to the ageing population has been a real challenge due to the lack of comprehensive public health response. But this is about to change. 

“Congratulations to Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care on their ground-breaking for a new home. Our government is fixing long-term care and ensuring we build homes for seniors in the communities they helped build,” said Stan Cho, Minister of Long-Term Care. “Today marks a significant milestone for Scarborough. When construction is complete, 224 residents will have a new, modern and comfortable place to call home.”

Toronto’s rising need for services for homeless elderly 

Unfortunately, not all ageing people have a house or a family that can take care of them, which leaves homeless and older people without adequate care. Some of them have been living without a home for many decades, but besides them, many other elders are in similar danger. The rising need for housing, clothing donations and food concerns all organizations, mainly due to increased living costs. 

These services must also be updated, with houses for older adults that consider the different needs of people with disabilities, whether physical or psychological. Care homes need more physicians and improved facilities. For example, they could assist people in leveraging technology for mobility through the staircases from summitstairlifts.ca, which can be customized to anyone’s liking and needs. 

The home care sector is heavily challenged by financial strain 

The entire world has been hit by the increasing prices for food and housing, which are the results of the pandemic and ongoing geopolitical conflicts. Undoubtedly, care homes also suffer from financial problems, leading to their termination in some cases since the mortgage rates have boomed. 

On the other hand, the ones that still survive have had to increase their fees in order to provide the same qualitative services, which might pose difficulties for some elders to continue their stay in a safe and proper environment. It is still more affordable to receive care at home, but elders who need more than that can check how much is a stairlift and get staff to take the suitable measures to deliver a fit technological advancement. 

Equity and access to care, weaknesses in the Canadian healthcare system 

Compared to the healthcare system in the US, Canada is above the international average due to outstanding patient engagement and the rapid coordination of health providers. It has been noticed that the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta are the greatest places for elders to receive care. 

On the other hand, the same can’t be said for Labrador and Quebec, which scored below the international score. It seems like the main problems in the Canadian care sector for elders include equity and access to care, with low-income seniors being the most affected by wait times and inability to afford home care.

The need to address the situation has become more urgent after the pandemic, where the Canadian system failed many seniors. Hence, considering the country’s healthcare system is already challenged, it must prepare for the next decades when the demographic curve will explode. Canada could take the example of Germany or the Netherlands, where people are either helped maintain their health throughout their lives, which minimizes healthcare needs during old age or provides better access to care. 

Long waiting periods are the leading issue triggering the healthcare crisis 

Although the Canadian healthcare system is significantly better compared to other large nations, the biggest issue that patients encounter includes the long waiting periods, especially for non-urgent problems. Indeed, people suffering from cancer or heart attacks are immediately taken care of, but when it comes to less dangerous illnesses, they are put on the waiting list and see a doctor after months or even years. This leaves patients waiting much longer than recommended, which aggravates their condition and, therefore, requires more expensive care later. Negligence and delay are not to be ignored anymore. 

Another problem includes the lack of accessibility to healthcare in rural areas. It’s well known that the funding for the system is based on location and demographics, which only benefits cities and towns where the contribution is advanced. Therefore, healthcare funding in rural areas is scarce, leaving patients without proper healthcare providers. This means they must travel to a bigger city to access treatment and even get diagnosed, which isn’t always that easy. 

The ideal approach recommended by the World Bank: the FIRE framework 

Many institutions are coming up with recommendations and new action plans for governments to provide better access to care, considering the changing needs of elders. For example, the World Bank offered the idea of the FIRE plan, which includes some insight into the most critical areas for development:

• Financing needs to be improved to make healthcare services more efficient within proper incentivization;
• Innovation is a must for addressing elders’ requirements for a decent and healthy life, regardless of income-based countries;
• Regulation must be flexible enough to facilitate autonomy and integration among stakeholders and intermediaries;
• Evaluation should be constantly maintained through research and empirical evidence to match the demand with the service;

The healthcare system must also coordinate and better communicate with other important actors, such as infrastructure and transportation because home care doesn’t stop at the porch of one’s house. Finally, the private sector must get involved with the public to better balance between low-income and middle-income areas. 

Final considerations 

The Province of Ontario announced the construction of Toronto’s new long-term home for elders in response to the increasing needs of the senior community. The project will be finished around 2026 and will provide 224 new beds beds and more facilities for elders in the area, helping healthcare providers face the increasing demand for care services and housing. 

Other articles from totimes.ca – otttimes.ca – mtltimes.ca