​​Long-term care and transitional care unit residents at Extendicare's West End Villa in Ottawa​

By: The Ontario Long Term Care Association

The Ottawa Hospital and Extendicare have developed an innovative transitional care unit that serves as a model for tackling one of the health system's most persistent challenges. Their partnership, built on a relationship forged during the COVID-19 pandemic, is leading to better hospital access for people in the community and better rehabilitative care for seniors with complex care needs.

Like many Canadian hospitals, The Ottawa Hospital has been facing capacity challenges. Across Canada, an increasing number of beds are occupied by people who no longer need the level of care provided by hospitals, but who are unable to live independently and are waiting for additional supports or another community-based care setting such as long-term care.

With wait lists for many health services under pressure, it is not uncommon for these patients, designated “alternate level of care" or “ALC," to wait in hospital for weeks or months before moving to the care destination most suited to their needs. The majority are also seniors. Prolonged hospitalizations, which offer limited opportunities for social stimulation and physical mobility, can negatively impact a patient's well-being, lead to a significant loss of muscle tone, and accelerate symptoms of dementia.

Transitional care approaches provide a missing link in the health care system and are becoming more common through a variety of different models of care and governance. The Ottawa Hospital/Extendicare unit, located in Extendicare's West End Villa long-term care home, features an integrated team of staff from both organizations. Extendicare staff provide support with meals, activities, well-being and housekeeping, while hospital physicians and nurses provide care and clinical oversight, beyond what would normally exist in a traditional long-term care home.

The unit began with the ability to care for 55 patients to transition out of hospital to this program, to ready them for community-based care. It has since expanded to a total of 100 beds and frees up hospital spaces for those who need them. It also offers a more suitable and comfortable environment for seniors with ongoing and complex care needs and provides care to former ALC patients in the community, at a lower cost to the health care system.

Listen to this Coming of Age podcast discussion with Cameron Love, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital, and Michael Guerriere, President and CEO of Extendicare, about this innovation.

To learn more, contact Ontario Long Term Care Association, info@oltca.com

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