Recommendations for Long Term Nursing Care in Toronto
May 4, 2011 2:34 PM Subscribe
Long Term Nursing Care in Toronto for 87 year old great uncle. Recommendations for particular homes and/or resources to help find one?
Great Uncle is based in Toronto, Canada (North York); we're based in UK.
Uncle is suffering dementia which is getting significantly worse; in addition he's become more and more physically debilitated recently, to the extent that he can't go and up and down stairs, move around easily or at some times even go to the loo on his own. In short, is unable to take care of himself.
We've been making regular monthly trips recently, while his local care has been combination of family / friends living with him and a nurse sent to check on him - all of which based in his own home. This is not sustainable though in long term; added to which his house is now in a state whereby it would probably better and safer for him to be elsewhere. However, we have been struggling to identify where locally would be most suitable to place him. Alternating between two ideas:
1. new flat / bungalow and privately contracted nurse to provide 24 hour round the clock care.
2. residential nursing home that could provide long term care
Unfortunately haven't found obvious solution that works. Struggling to find a combination of reputable nurses that would provide care for #1 (where do you even look? His doctor and hospital could not suggest anything); while for #2 we've been looking at random residential homes but none of jumped out as being particularly good quality (either care-wise or quality of lifestyle). As such, can anyone help point to resources that would help us find solutions or come up with particular recommendations for specific homes? We have tried CCAC but not much luck there so far.
Money is not a problem and we're willing to spend whatever it takes to make something work. As a further aside, we've decided against him moving to UK (whether to live with us or locally) or for us to go to Canada.
Any and all help gratefully appreciated - we're really struggling here.
Great Uncle is based in Toronto, Canada (North York); we're based in UK.
Uncle is suffering dementia which is getting significantly worse; in addition he's become more and more physically debilitated recently, to the extent that he can't go and up and down stairs, move around easily or at some times even go to the loo on his own. In short, is unable to take care of himself.
We've been making regular monthly trips recently, while his local care has been combination of family / friends living with him and a nurse sent to check on him - all of which based in his own home. This is not sustainable though in long term; added to which his house is now in a state whereby it would probably better and safer for him to be elsewhere. However, we have been struggling to identify where locally would be most suitable to place him. Alternating between two ideas:
1. new flat / bungalow and privately contracted nurse to provide 24 hour round the clock care.
2. residential nursing home that could provide long term care
Unfortunately haven't found obvious solution that works. Struggling to find a combination of reputable nurses that would provide care for #1 (where do you even look? His doctor and hospital could not suggest anything); while for #2 we've been looking at random residential homes but none of jumped out as being particularly good quality (either care-wise or quality of lifestyle). As such, can anyone help point to resources that would help us find solutions or come up with particular recommendations for specific homes? We have tried CCAC but not much luck there so far.
Money is not a problem and we're willing to spend whatever it takes to make something work. As a further aside, we've decided against him moving to UK (whether to live with us or locally) or for us to go to Canada.
Any and all help gratefully appreciated - we're really struggling here.
The Toronto Dementia Network may be able to help.
Have you checked the Gibson Residences or Extendicare Bayview? We had a family friend require a nursing home and those were the two her family was looking at. Money was also no object for them (lottery winners) but the two are fairly close to their house so that would have been a factor in the decision.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 4:46 PM on May 4, 2011
Have you checked the Gibson Residences or Extendicare Bayview? We had a family friend require a nursing home and those were the two her family was looking at. Money was also no object for them (lottery winners) but the two are fairly close to their house so that would have been a factor in the decision.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 4:46 PM on May 4, 2011
If you want to do number one, it sounds like you might not need full skilled nursing. You could probably hire a private nurse or LPN (or I guess whatever the Canadian equivalent is) for the day shift and fill the swing/overnight with home health aides. The weekends will be dicey, but it can be done.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 7:10 PM on May 4, 2011
posted by Snarl Furillo at 7:10 PM on May 4, 2011
Baycrest is where my grandfather went. It's a good place, as far as those places go. It has a jewish bent to it, but I don't think it is only (or even predominantly) jewish, but I could be wrong.
posted by evadery at 9:21 PM on May 4, 2011
posted by evadery at 9:21 PM on May 4, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far. Gibson Residences looks promising, although not sure if it can offer enough care. Also like the VON link - thanks for that. Please keep the suggestions coming, this is great.
posted by Mave_80 at 11:25 PM on May 4, 2011
posted by Mave_80 at 11:25 PM on May 4, 2011
There are a couple of really high quality long term care residences in Toronto, and that' s probably what you need over the long term. For some families, it can be easier to do one visit into a place with many stages of support rather than multiple moves.
Belmont House and Christie Gardens are definitely the best known, along with Baycrest. www.211Toronto.ca can be another resource, but it is a hard slog to find the right place.
posted by Heart_on_Sleeve at 8:33 AM on June 22, 2011
Belmont House and Christie Gardens are definitely the best known, along with Baycrest. www.211Toronto.ca can be another resource, but it is a hard slog to find the right place.
posted by Heart_on_Sleeve at 8:33 AM on June 22, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
My parents' in Montreal have a
neighbour with a similar condition to your uncle (ie serious age related disability where she can not care for herself) and who insisted that she would never want to leave her home. Her kids arranged for 24 hour care through the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON).
http://www.von.ca/en/services/program_listing.aspx?cat=8
From what I hear from my parents, the VON nurses are far from cheap but you state that isn't an issue for you (luckily). My folks, who have also always been super close their neighbour and who visit with her regularly, have also been super impressed by all the VON nurses they have met, their professionalism and extremely good level of care.
The VON can definetly help re: option #1.
posted by elkerette at 4:38 PM on May 4, 2011