I get home or community care and I’m being abused. What can I do?

Ontario’s Patient Bill of Rights covers the care services you get in your home or from community organizations.

For home and community care services that the Government of Ontario pays for, Ontario Health atHome decides what services you need and can get.

Your care coordinator at Ontario Health atHome works with you to make a care plan. Your care plan sets out which services you get, and who's giving you the services.

You may get your services from one or more providers:

• Ontario Health Teams (OHT): These are health-care providers in a community that work together to give services, such as doctors and home and community care providers.
• health service providers (HSP): These organizations have agreements with Ontario Health atHome to give services.

Guided Pathway to respond to elder abuse

Right not to be abused

The Bill of Rights says you should not be abused when you get home and community care services.

You can complain that an HSP or OHT, or one of their staff members, employees, or contractors:

• abused you,
• neglected you, or
• did not give you the proper care
• did not have the skills to care for you

Right not to be punished

The Bill of Rights also says that no one is allowed take any action against you because you complain about a service.

This means that if you complain, no one is allowed to:

• punish you,
• refuse to give you care services, or
• take away your care services.

This is true whether you make your complaint to the police, your care provider, or anyone else.

Get legal help

There may be other steps you can take if a home or community care provider abuses you. You should get legal advice. Step 5 has more information.