The Wynne government may offer seniors, who are well enough to leave hospital but not able to live on their own, the opportunity to stay free in retirement homes as a way to address the issue of overcrowded hospitals.

Announced in the recent budget, the Liberals are considering testing a program that gives seniors vouchers for their stays in an effort to free up hospital beds.

Now word how long such stays will be or which communities it’ll be tested in.

 

Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins says such patients are an enormous expense to the health care system, adding being stuck in hospital is not good for their physical or mental health.

”So the way I look at it is, the savings we accrue, we can afford to invest out of hospital, often at a fraction of the price and a better patient experience.”

In the budget, the province announced $24-million for ”innovative” ways of dealing with patients in alternative-level-of-care hospital beds. 

According to the government such patients make up about 15% of patients in Ontario hospitals.