Senior Care in Canada

Senior care options, compared

From least to most intensive:

• Home care: personal support workers or nurses come to the home, from an hour a week to live-in. Provinces fund some home care after an assessment; private agencies fill the gaps
• Adult day programs: supervised daytime activities, meals and care, giving family caregivers a break
• Respite care: a short stay in a residence so a family caregiver can rest
• Assisted living and retirement homes: housing with meals and daily help available
• Memory care: secure, specialized care for people living with dementia
• Long-term care: 24-hour nursing care in a publicly funded home
• Palliative care: comfort-focused care at the end of life, at home, in a hospice or in a care home

Home care or a move?

Many families start with home care and move when needs outgrow it. Home care makes sense while the home is safe and help is needed for part of the day. A move usually makes sense when care is needed around the clock, when the person is isolated, or when the cost of many hours of private home care exceeds the cost of a residence.

Ask your provincial health authority for a home care assessment first: publicly funded hours are free, and the assessor can also explain long-term care eligibility.

Where to start

A short list of first steps:

• Write down what help is needed each day and each night
• Ask the family doctor or the provincial health authority for a care assessment
• Use our free care assessment to see which type of care fits
• Compare two or three providers near you on cost, availability and care

Frequently asked questions

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