1. Learn about home and community care services

Home and community care services are health-care services you get in your home or from community organizations. They're paid for by the Ontario government.

Health Service Providers (HSPs) and Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) provide or arrange these services.

Home and Community Care Support Services (HCCSS) offices co-ordinate the services. They used to be called Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). HCCSS offices are one type of HSP.

Many regions of Ontario now have Ontario Health Teams (OHTs), which are groups of organizations that provide health services, like hospitals, medical clinics, emergency services, and community care agencies. They work with the region's HCCSS to co-ordinate all types of hospital, medical, and home and community care services.

Role of your care co-ordinator

A care co-ordinator from the HCCSS in your area is your main contact. They make your care plan and arrange for the home and community care services that you need.

Your care co-ordinator gives you a written copy of your care plan. It should tell you about each of the HSPs that will give you care.

You could work with several different HSPs. For example, you might get help with bathing from a home care agency, therapy from a physiotherapist, and meals from Meals on Wheels.

Types of services

Examples of some home and community care services that you might get are:

• professional services, such as nursing, physiotherapy, or social work
• help with daily activities, such as taking a bath, eating, or getting dressed
• homemaking services, such as house cleaning, laundry, banking, shopping, or preparing meals
• community support services, including meal services like Meals on Wheels, day programs, foot care, services for people who are deaf or blind, or palliative care services that you need at the end of your life