2. Report the abuse

If someone is being hurt or threatened, call 911.

If it's not an emergency but you think a crime is being committed, you can call your local police station. You can also report a crime without giving your name through Crime Stoppers. Call them at 1-800-222-8477. Or, you can make a report using their website.

Making a report

Anyone who sees abuse can report it to the management of the long-term care home.

The law says that management must investigate any reports of abuse. And they cannot punish staff or visitors for reporting abuse.

Urgent complaints

If it's an urgent complaint about a long-term care home, visitors and staff must report it to the Ministry of Long-Term Care. They do this by contacting the Long-term Care Family Support and Action Line. Complaints are urgent if they're about harm, neglect, or danger to residents.

You can call the Action Line at 1-866-434-0144, between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., 7 days a week.

You do not have to give your name. But give as much as information as you can. This makes it easier for your report to be investigated. You must give:

• the name of the home
• the address of the home, including the town or city that it's in
• a description of what happened, including whether it happened once or is an ongoing problem
• when and where it happened if it's a specific event, for example, inside or outside the home
• who was involved

Complaints that are not urgent

If a complaint is not urgent, you can report it directly to the long-term home. For example, complaints are less serious if they're related to a resident's diet or activities at the home.

All long-term care homes must have steps for people to make a complaint. And they need to be in writing. The home must post these steps where it's easy for people to find and see them.

If you cannot find this information, contact the home's office staff.

You can also call the Action Line at 1-866-434-0144, between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., 7 days a week.

Or, you can mail a letter about your complaint to the Ministry of Long-Term Care at:

Director, Long-Term Care Inspections Branch
Long-Term Care Operations Division
119 King St. W, 11th Floor
Hamilton, Ontario L8P 4Y7

After you make a report

The Ministry of Long-Term Care must look into all reports of abuse.

There are a number of things that can happen after you make a report. For example, the Ministry could:

• take steps to make sure that the home is following the laws that apply to long-term care homes
• inspect the home

If you give your name, address, and telephone number:

• a Ministry employee will follow up with you to get your full report, usually within 2 business days, and
• the two of you can talk about the next steps.

If there's an inspection, the inspector will write an inspection report and call you to talk about it. The Ministry also posts these reports on their Reports on Long-Term Care Homes website so anyone can see them. The inspector will tell you when your inspection report is available online.

Inspection reports are online in English or French. If you'd like a report in an accessible format, you need to send the Ministry a Long-Term Care Home Inspection Report Request Form. You can send the form by fax to 416-326-3142 or by mail to:

Health Data Branch, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
5700 Yonge St, 4th Floor
Toronto ON
M2M 4K5

If you do not give your name and contact information:

• phone-line staff will pass your report to an inspector to look into
• the inspector will not be able to contact you later to let you know what happened