Quality of life indicator: Access to long-term care

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Domain

Health

Subdomain

Healthy care systems

Indicator

Access to long-term care

Definition

Long-term care (LTC) homes — also called nursing homes, continuing care facilities and residential care homes — provide a wide range of health and personal care services for Canadians with medical or physical needs who require access to 24-hour nursing care, personal care and other therapeutic and support services.

Access focuses on the ability of individuals to obtain services when needed, and the following indicator focuses on availability:

Long-term care beds per 1,000 population aged 75 and older.

Over time, additional indicators may be added to reflect broader aspects of access such as geographic accessibility, affordability and timeliness. Measures of long‑term care quality, including staffing adequacy and indicators that enhance understanding of residents’ well‑being, may also be added.

Measurement

Long-term care beds per 1,000 population aged 75 and older

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) measures the rate of long-term care beds per 1,000 population for those aged 75 and older by province and territory in the Health Systems Context Series.

LTC beds per 1,000 population aged 75 and older is a commonly used high-level indicator of capacity for people most likely to require LTC services. This age group is selected because the need for support with daily activities or medical care increases significantly after age 75. While people younger than 75 may also require LTC, focusing on the population 75 and older enables planners to monitor trends, assess system capacity and compare service availability across regions.

This measure covers publicly funded long-term care homes.

Why this indicator is important

As Canada’s population demographics shift toward older age groups, many seniors need assistance with daily activities. Long-term care enhances quality of life by providing personal support, such as aid in daily activities, nursing and medical care, and social engagement. Availability of LTC can reduce stress on families who could otherwise struggle to provide adequate care. In turn, benefits include improved well-being for seniors, job creation, and lower healthcare costs. LTC can also reduce burden on emergency response calls, emergency room visits and hospital stays. Helping Canadians age with dignity, closer to home, with access to home care or safe long-term care remains a priority.

Data sources

Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI):

Health System Context Series

Data tables and analysis

For products related to long-term care, including data tables, data visualizations, articles, and other product types, see Analytical releases: Access to long-term care or view all analytical releases.

Additional information

In addition to access, quality of long-term care can be measured with a number of considerations.

Quality of long-term care

Long-term care quality is assessed using system‑level indicators across key dimensions such as safety, appropriateness, effectiveness, and health status and experiences, offering a balanced view of where care is meeting expectations and where improvement is needed. This performance-based approach helps identify strengths and gaps by comparing resident outcomes and organizational practices.

Long-term care quality measures are collected by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and available in the Long-term Care dashboard.