OHSWEKEN — Six Nations’ Iroquois Lodge will be one of the beneficiaries of an announced 500 more long-term care beds for indigenous seniors across the province.
Ontario is creating nearly 500 new long-term care beds for Indigenous community members across the province. These beds will deliver culturally appropriate care for Indigenous peoples, reduce wait times and meet the demands of an aging population.
Through collaboration and continuous engagement between the province and Indigenous partners, new long-term care beds will be coming to Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Band Council’s Iroquois Lodge in Ohsweken.
Also receiving additional beds will be Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) in Moose Factory, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care in Fort William First Nation, Meno Ya Win Health Centre in Sioux Lookout, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and Anishnawbe Health Toronto in Toronto.
“As part of Aging with Confidence: Ontario’s Action Plan for Seniors, our government committed to prioritizing new long-term care beds that are culturally appropriate for Indigenous peoples. Our government understands how important it is for people to have the option to stay in their communities for as long as possible and get the care that reflects their unique needs. This is the first step to creating more than 30,000 new long-term care beds over the next decade and helping more seniors access the care they need,” says Dr. Helena Jaczek Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.
These new beds are part of the province’s commitment to building 5,000 new beds by 2022 and more than 30,000 new beds over the next decade. Ontario is also investing more than $300 million over the next three years to hire an additional registered nurse at every long-term care home, and to increase the provincial average to four hours of daily care per resident by 2022. This will ensure that every home will have staff with specialized training in behavioural supports and in palliative and end-of-life care.
