With seniors making up nearly one-fifth of Canada?s population today (Statistics Canada, 2024), there has been tremendous attention of late around age-friendly cities. Age-friendly cities are an important part of public health and public policy. They fall short, however, when it comes to addressing the complexity of our current demographic shift. Older adults are living longer and with increasingly complex health profiles. And while supporting aging in place at home is the foremost goal, most adults over the age of 85 require home and healthcare services (Statistics Canada, 2021).
Long-term care plays a pivotal role in meeting these needs today and will continue to play a pivotal role in the future as demand continues to grow. The system is not without its challenges, however. In Ontario, as in other parts of the country, one of the foremost challenges is the exodus of long-term care homes from urban areas. In populous cities, land is scarce, and the costs associated with its purchase, development and operation have become prohibitive for most providers. At present, the provincial per-bed-per-diem cannot raise sufficient funds to subsidize the premium of urban development.
As a result, long-term care providers are moving out of the city, building siloed structures often apart from established neighbourhoods. Not only does this compound current and persistent issues of resident placement and displacement outside of their communities, but it also exacerbates the social isolat...