Residents’ care needs are expected to become more complex, and in turn, staff training and education will have to become more intensive to meet those varied needs.

“I foresee more homes will be specifically geared to the cognitively impaired. This will mean major education for staff across the board regardless of discipline,” says Diane Sweetzer, the administrator of Extendicare Bayview.

Victoria Isler, the administrator of Richmond Terrace in Amherstberg, also pinpoints an increased demand to meet the needs of residents with cognitive impairments.

“I foresee a huge need for more services for cognitively impaired people. It has to do with the fact that we are living longer and there are more of us,” she explains.

There is also a strong possibility that long-term care homes will take on some characteristics of hospitals. Staff will have to be trained like those in acute care hospitals, and multi-task nursing will be the norm, notes Marg Dykeman, the administrator of Riverbend Place in Cambridge.

“In the future, I see us as helping supplement hospitals in areas such as rehab,” says Victoria. “There’s already a huge need out there for certain services like that. People would come here after being in the hospital for care until they go home; a shorter-term kind of care.”

On the flip side, long-term care homes will also continue to have a strong focus on chronic care, says Marg.

“If it continues like it is, it’s going to be all about chronic care. Then there’s the question of what to do with Home Care and other Ministry projects.”

Besides increasing care and services to long-term and short-term residents, Marg predicts homes will open their doors to the community for drop-in visits. Non-residents will be able to come in and make use of the services and activities, she explains.

“I envision a home having a swimming pool, whirlpool, in-house physiotherapy – those kinds of things. I see it as being the hub of the community, where people from outside could come in and spend some time, use the services, and maybe even have a coffee. I also see it as the medical hub for seniors in the community – people could come in and get their blood pressure checked, for example.”

She hopes care and activities will be more nurturing, comfortable and of a higher quality, as she believes they directly affect residents’ health and wellbeing. “With proper care and activities, less meds (medications) need to be used,” she says, adding that she also hopes restraints will completely become a thing of the past.

Taking into consideration the increased variation in care and services, Diane foresees the need for long-term care homes to change the way they promote themselves.

“I think we will see more homes that market themselves in different areas to meet more complex needs of residents,” she says.