The National Institute on Ageing has called on governments to end the practice of “warehousing” seniors and to instead build smaller, more community-oriented homes for long-term care. WoodGreen Community Services strongly supports this vision of better-quality care for seniors, which is why we’ve developed our own innovative Cluster Care Model.
For over 20 years, our Cluster Care Model has provided cost-effective, compassionate care options for frail seniors. Cluster Care accommodates those who can no longer live independently but are not yet in need of full-time long-term care. The model consists of eight to ten seniors living in a shared complex with private rooms, along with communal dining, living, and kitchen areas to promote socialization and togetherness. The units are rent-geared-to-income, ensuring accessibility for low-income clients.
Personal Support Workers (PSWs) are on-site 24/7 to assist with daily needs, ensuring the safety and well-being of residents, including those with advanced frailty, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia. Cluster Care alleviates pressure on hospitals and long-term care (LTC) facilities as many Cluster Care clients age in place with wrap around services. Hence alleviating capacity pressures and reducing waiting list for LTC. Clusters accommodate gender, culture or language specific needs, in the delivery of a diverse range of care. For example, our all-male cluster and all-Mandarin speaking cluster.
Cluster Care is not intended to replace long-term care facilities, but rather serves as a bridge for individuals who are no longer able to live independently at home but require additional services to age with dignity in a community setting. Notably, the model has successfully diverted 83 percent of its clients from entering long-term care facilities.
Despite the clear benefits of the model, WoodGreen is still calling on Ontario Health (OH) to provide operating funding to support a new 9-unit Cluster Care site at 1080 Queen Street East in Toronto, which is set to open in March 2025. In this fiscal year, WoodGreen is working on a new eight-storey mass timber building at 60 Bowden Street, which will feature 50 affordable housing units, including two clusters of eight units for frail seniors. WoodGreen strongly believes in investing in more community-oriented homes such as Cluster Care and urges the Ministry of Health to recognize the importance of these models by investing in community support services so providers can expand these models of care to better meet the needs of seniors across the province.
ABOUT WOODGREEN COMMUNITY SERVICES (woodgreen.org): WoodGreen is one of the largest social service agencies in Toronto, serving 40,000 people each year. We offer over 75 programs and services tackling the social determinants that affect the health and well-being of individuals in our community.
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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Jon Reed, Senior Communications Manager; [email protected].