Home care crisis in Ontario: lack of PSWs, nurses and therapists

TORONTO – It is a deep crisis that the home care sector is going through. During the Covid-19 pandemic there has been an unprecedented flight of personnel to other parts of the health system. “We have literally lost over 3,000 nurses, qualified therapists and personal support workers,” said Sue VanderBent, CEO of Home Care Ontario, which represents home care providers in Ontario, “and this is very bad news for Ontario residents who are receiving home care because now the number is so small that many people are left waiting at home for a nurse or therapist or PSW who will not arrive.”