Although the Ministry of Health announces changes to physiotherapy services for Ontario's seniors on April 18, 2013 , in essence eliminating physiotherapy services in retirement homes, they indicated that an additional 200,000 seniors will benefit from increased access to community-based exercise and physiotherapy clinics, in-home services and programs in long-term care homes. Those changes were a follow up to the recommendations contained in Dr. Samir Sinha’s Ontario Senior Strategy report, Living Longer Living Well
This change, effective August 2013, also eliminated the existing model in which physiotherapy services were billed directly to OHIP from designated physiotherapy clinic providers.
Our position is that access to publicly-funded physiotherapy services for aging seniors Is critical to helping them age in place and to maintaining their health, well-being and independence as long as possible. Any change to how these services are delivered must ensure that access is either maintained or enhanced for seniors in retirement homes.
Has this happened?