End-of-Life Care in Ontario

Ontario’s end-of-life healthcare system, when delivered in palliative care units or acute care hospital rooms, is expensive, and hospice space is in short supply. In a 2014 report, the Ontario auditor general estimated that we need up to 809 new hospice spaces to meet demand. The province currently has 271.    

Source: Ministry of Health and Long-term Care section of Auditor General 2014 Annual Report

According to a 2014 report, only 30 per cent of Ontarians with chronic illness receive hospice or palliative care when they are dying. As it stands now, there are fewer than two hospice beds for every 100,000 people in Ontario, well short of the recognized standard of seven per 100,000. The situation in Toronto is even worse.

With an aging population in Toronto there is growth in demand for end-of-life care that could reach crisis levels, where people have no choice at the end of their life for the kind of compassionate, personalized care that hospice delivers.

Neshama Hospice will have the capacity to address the needs of approximately 250 end-of-life patients annually, making a qualitative difference across the province, not only for our residents, but also for their families and caregivers. In addition, Neshama Hospice will help to enhance and strengthen the existing network of end-of-life care in Ontario with outstanding palliative care support.