Province scraps fees for elderly couples living together in long-term care
Posted April 18, 2011 2:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Under new legislation, elderly couples won’t have to pay extra to live together in Ontario’s long-term care facilities.
On Monday, Health Minister Deb Matthews told Queen’s Park she’s going to change the rules so seniors don’t have to dig into their own pockets just to stay together.
Currently, if a couple requests a shared room — which is considered semi-private — they lose the $130 a month the province gives seniors in basic ward care.
The NDP has raised several examples of elderly couples having trouble finding long-term care.
The New Democrats say that Paul and Marjory Springer, a Sudbury couple who have been married 66 years, couldn’t find a home in their area.
The only one available was in Kitchener, and they would have had to pay that $130 to stay together.
New Democrat France Gelinas says the Springers aren’t the only ones – some couples in the same area have been waiting up to five years to get a shared long term care room.
With files from The Canadian Press
