People should receive care that works and is based on the best available scientific information.
Long-term care homes should strive to achieve the best possible outcomes for their residents. Care provided to residents should reflect accepted best practices and aim to maximize residents’ independence to the fullest extent possible. This includes, but is not limited to, appropriate continence care, pain management, treatment for depression and mood disorders, and restorative care that sustains or enhances residents’ ability to carry out the activities of daily living.
Health Quality Ontario (HQO) currently reports on four quality indicators for the effectiveness of long-term care. These indicators relate to incontinence, activities of daily living, cognitive function, and pain. To learn more, click on the tabs above.
Note: The previously reported indicator “Emergency Department Visits” (i.e., number of emergency department visits due to an ambulatory care sensitive condition per 100 residents) is currently under methodological review by HQO. Please send any questions to the long-term care public reporting team at LTCPublicReporting@hqontario.ca.
Percentage of residents with worsening bladder control
2013/14 provincial average:
19.5%
2012/13 provincial average:
19.7%
Incontinence
This indicator shows the percentage of long-term care residents in Ontario who experienced worsening urinary incontinence over any given 90-day period.
Incontinence can lead to a loss of independence and is associated with a higher risk of other health conditions, such as pressure ulcers. The Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, requires all homes in Ontario to have a continence care and bowel management program to promote continence and to ensure that residents are clean, dry and comfortable.
Percentage of residents with increasing difficulty carrying out normal everyday tasks
2013/14 provincial average:
35.4%
2012/13 provincial average:
34.6%
Activities of Daily Living
This indicator shows the percentage of long-term care residents in Ontario who experienced increasing difficulty carrying out normal everyday tasks, such as personal hygiene and getting dressed, over any given 90-day period.
Residents who struggle with normal everyday tasks require more care and are at a higher risk of developing other health conditions, such as depression and urinary tract infections. The Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, requires all homes in Ontario to ensure that restorative care approaches are integrated into the care that is provided and coordinated to ensure that residents are able to maintain or improve their functional and cognitive capacities in all aspects of daily living, to the extent of their abilities.
Percentage of residents whose language, memory and thinking abilities have recently decreased
2013/14 provincial average:
10.3%
2012/13 provincial average:
10.0%
Cognitive Function
This indicator shows the percentage of long-term care residents in Ontario who experienced a decline in their language, memory or thinking abilities over any given 90-day period.
When residents lose their ability to remember, communicate and make decisions, they are at a higher risk of further impairment, depression and reduced quality of life. Cognitive decline also has a negative effect on physical function and independence, which can place a higher burden on long-term care staff and caregivers. The Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, requires all homes in Ontario to ensure that restorative care approaches are integrated into the care that is provided and coordinated to ensure residents are able to maintain or improve their functional and cognitive capacities in all aspects of daily living, to the extent of their abilities.
Percentage of residents with pain that worsened recently
2013/14 provincial average:
11.2%
2012/13 provincial average:
11.3%
Pain
This indicator shows the percentage of long-term care residents in Ontario with greater pain (i.e., higher pain scale score) on their target assessment than on their prior assessment.
Pain can be a common occurrence among long-term care residents. In addition to reducing quality of life, pain can prevent residents from staying active and social, leading to worsening health problems. The Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, requires all homes in Ontario to have a pain management program in place to identify and manage residents’ pain.