Ontario nursing homes competed for spots in culture-change pilot project

Ontario received 175 applications for a three-year, $9-million pilot to shift long-term care toward resident-led dementia care, with 17 initial spots and plans to measure resident well‑being and staff satisfaction.

Ontario has launched a three-year, $9-million pilot aimed at shifting long-term care toward more resident-led approaches for people living with dementia. Officials said they received 175 applications for 17 initial spots in the program. Homes were vetted on need, readiness and ability to sustain the approach. Participating homes can adopt established models or develop in-house philosophies. Program details: - The pilot is funded at $9 million over three years and initially offered 17 spots for participating homes. - The ministry received 175 applications from long-term care homes across Ontario. - About 1,800 residents are expected to be affected in the first year, and the government said roughly 5,000 people in 45 homes will experience change by the end of the project. - Participating homes may choose programs such as Meaningful Care Matters (formerly Butterfly), the Eden Alternative, or BSO 5STaR, or use in-house approaches. - The ministry will collect data on resident well‑being and staff satisfaction, including measures reported as changes in mood, medication use for mood, and staff reports. Summary: The large number of applications suggests strong interest in moving away from task-oriented care toward resident-led models in Ontario’s long-term care sector. The pilot will monitor outcomes such as resident well‑being and staff satisfaction over the three-year project, and the government reports an expected reach of about 1,800 residents in year one and 5,000 residents across 45 homes by the end of the pilot.