Learn exactly what the public system will do for your family member.
The Ontario Health at Home program (Home and Community Care Support Services) assesses your family member to determine which services (eg. Nursing visits, PSW visits etc.) you are entitled to receive free of charge. However, most public systems have very short hours for providing care. So, most families end up needing to look into private services to provide supplemental services beyond the limited hours of public services provided.
Step 2 Create A Picture of How Your Family Member Functions On Any Given Day
After determining what the public system provides, create a picture of how much assistance your family member really needs throughout the course of a full day prior to reaching out to agencies about possible services:
Morning: Wakeup, toileting, washing, dressing, eating breakfast
Midday: Medication administration, meals, companionship, exercise/walks
Evening: Supper, evening routine, transfers back to bed
Nighttime: Bathroom trips, confusion, fall risk
By creating a full picture of how much assistance your family member truly needs, you will be able to compare the assistance that public PSW or Nursing Visits provide compared to what your family member’s actual needs are and identify the “holes” in the care that private caregivers and equipment can fill. If your family member has difficulty moving around safely within their home (i.e., walks slowly), now is likely the perfect time to explore a Hospital Bed for Sale to improve the safety of both your elderly loved one and their caregiver(s) when transferring them, positioning them and caring for them at night.
Step 3 Use Public Systems to Provide MedicalRelated Care and Personal Assistance; Use Private Systems for Flexible, Daily Living Support
Some families have had success using a model in which they use public systems for medically related and/or basic personal care and private caregivers for flexible support for daily living activities:
Public Home Care →
Medical-related and/or Basic Personal Care
Wound Care
Injection Administration
Limited Physiotherapy
Basic Personal Support Worker Visits
Private Home Care →
Additional Hours of Support from PSWs/Companions/Caregivers
Overnight Assistance
Medication Prep
Housekeeping
Custom Schedules
Public-based services typically center on medically related and/or basic personal care. Private caregivers can attend to your family member’s daily living needs at custom hours/schedules and allow your family members to pursue employment/hobbies/social events/etc. that would otherwise require extensive time commitments.
Step 4 Ensure Your Family Member’s Home Environment Is SafetyFriendly Enough for Both Systems
Similar to having good caregivers enhance the opportunity to provide a supportive caregiving experience to your family member in their home environment, an unsafe home environment can nullify everything your family has attempted. Please think about the following safety features in designing a safe home environment for your family member:
Clear paths for walker/wheelchair traffic
Grab Bars installed in Bathrooms and Stairways
Adequate lighting throughout the home (especially at night)
Bed height & support properly aligned
If your family member resides in Brampton and/or spends time with family members who live in Peel Region, acquiring a Medical Bed for Sale in Toronto could be beneficial as it would allow you to have a stable and secure sleeping environment for your family member regardless of if your family member resides in Toronto or Peel Region.
Step 5 Schedule Lab Appointments with Companion Support
We care about our tools just like we care about the people we serve/care for. There are some things that you can borrow through public programs; however, many families want to buy or upgrade their own equipment as it tends to be higher quality and last longer. Some examples of the ideal combination for your family may include:
Adjustable Hospital Beds for sale
Pressure Relief Mattress & Side Rails (if medically required)
Transfer Devices/Lift Poles
Raised Toilet Seat/Shower Chair/Nonslip Mat
When equipment performs most of the heavy lifting required to assist your family member with their daily needs, public and private caregivers can focus on helping your family member with safer transfers/rehabilitation exercises/emotional support instead of continually lifting the heavy burden.
Many caregivers have stated that acquiring a High Quality Hospital Bed For Sale has saved them from injury/back problems/falls and helped them get a better nights sleep due to how easily they were able to position themselves physically.
Step 6 Look Into Programs That Allow Families To Be Their Own Boss When It Comes To Managing Funds
There are programs available through Ontario (such as Family Managed Home Care) that allow eligible patients/substitute decisionmakers to hire their own workers. These types of programs can be highly successful when paired with private services:
Public Funding →
Pay for a set amount of hours per week on your own schedule
Private Agency/Independent PSWs →
Add additional hours as needed
Family Members →
Fill in the gaps
Act as overall supervisor of plan
By coordinating these three components properly, your parent/loved one will likely see the same few individuals most of the time rather than a continuous rotation of total strangers.
Step 7 Protect the Primary Caregiver From Burnout
Typically in Toronto households there exists an adult child who serves as the primary caregiver.
This primary caregiver manages all aspects of caregiving. An example includes; making doctor’s appointments/contacting public home care agencies/shopping/taking over emergency nighttime duties. Due to the sheer volume of tasks placed upon them, it is extremely easy for the primary caregiver to become burned out/resentful. Using private services strategically as respite allows:
Regularly scheduling private shifts weekly so that the primary caregiver can take breaks
Occasional overnight support after hospitalizations/crisis situations
Temporary increases in support during peak periods at work/holidays
If your parents split their time between Toronto and relatives living in Peel Region, it might be useful to have a safe place for your parents to sleep in each location. In doing so, you may choose to purchase a medical bed for sale in Brampton as part of your long-term planning so that care doesn’t collapse once your parents switch locations.
Step 8 Keep Open Lines Of Communication Between All Participants
Maintaining open lines of communication between all participants involved in combining public/private systems is essential. Documenting the care plan/medications with both public/private teams
Tracking every visit/issue/change notebook/app
Each caregiver records a small note after each shift they worked
Documentation will allow you to recognize repeated patterns — i.e., increased confusion at night or ongoing difficulties with transfers — and make informed choices about adding more hours/equipment/another evaluation from Ontario Health at Home. Both public nurses and private PSWs function best when they know what other caregivers did.