Family-Managed Home Care in Ontario
Ontario families in the Family-Managed Home Care program receive funding each month and choose who provides the care. Guardian Home Care is qualified to deliver under the program in Toronto, with personal support and nursing supervised by our Registered Nursing Staff.
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Funding you direct, care we deliver
Ontario Health atHome, formerly Home and Community Care Support Services, sets your plan of service and funds it. You decide who carries it out.
You choose the provider
The program exists so families can pick who comes into the home. You hire Guardian directly and we answer to you.
Nurse-led delivery
Our Registered Nursing Staff supervise the care that follows your plan of service, and adjust as needs change between reassessments.
Hours that match your funding
A Care Coordinator sets the hours Ontario Health atHome pays for. We schedule around them, with a four-hour minimum shift.
What Guardian delivers under the program
Your Care Coordinator writes the plan of service and Guardian carries it out. Depending on what the plan calls for, that can include:
- Personal support: bathing, dressing, grooming, and meal preparation
- Nursing care at home, including medication administration and injections
- Diabetes management and support at end of life
- Companionship and friendly visiting to reduce isolation
- Mobility assistance and help keeping the daily routine on track
- Written notes on the care delivered, for the reports you give Ontario Health atHome
Talk with our care team today.
How the money and the hours work
Ontario Health atHome pays eligible clients or their substitute decision-makers directly each month. That money buys home care nursing or personal support from a provider the family chooses.
The family manages the funding, coordinates the providers, and reports back. Ontario Health atHome stays involved throughout: Care Coordinators continue to assess and reassess, write the plan of service, and monitor how care is going.
A Care Coordinator can grant up to 21 hours a week. More than that needs approval from senior management. Nursing care can be funded under the program as well as personal support.
Why families choose Guardian for Family-Managed Home Care
Guardian is qualified to deliver care under the program, so your funding can start paying for care as soon as your plan of service is written. Before care begins we provide a needs assessment at no cost and build a care plan that follows what your Care Coordinator set out.
Every care plan is supervised by our Registered Nursing Staff, and the same team is reachable around the clock. Families running the program themselves tell us the difficulty is coverage: knowing a shift will be filled when a caregiver is unwell, and knowing a nurse is watching the plan between reassessments. Guardian handles both.
How to apply for Family-Managed Home Care
Applying goes through Ontario Health atHome. Guardian comes in once your plan of service exists.
- 01
Call Ontario Health atHome
Start at Ontario Health atHome on 1-833-515-1234. They ask a series of questions to check eligibility and open a file.
- 02
Assessment with a Care Coordinator
A Care Coordinator visits to assess needs in person and confirm eligibility for home care and for the Family-Managed stream.
- 03
Your plan of service is written
The Care Coordinator sets out the care required and the hours Ontario Health atHome will fund each week.
- 04
Hire Guardian to deliver it
Call us to arrange the care your plan funds, plus any additional hours you want to add privately.
Talk with our care team today.
Family-Managed Home Care across Toronto
Guardian delivers care under the program across Toronto, North York, Scarborough, East York, Etobicoke, and Mississauga. Contact us to confirm coverage in your neighbourhood.
Family-Managed Home Care questions
What is Family-Managed Home Care?
It is a self-directed model of home care delivery available across Ontario. Eligible clients and their substitute decision-makers receive funding each month and buy home care services themselves, from the provider they choose. It is administered by Ontario Health atHome, the organisation that replaced Home and Community Care Support Services (HCCSS).
Who is eligible?
A Care Coordinator at Ontario Health atHome assesses you first for regular home care. To then qualify for the Family-Managed stream you must fall into one of four groups the Ministry has identified: people in extraordinary circumstances as judged by the Care Coordinator, children with complex medical needs, adults with an acquired brain injury, and eligible home-schooled children.
How many hours does the program fund?
A Care Coordinator decides during the assessment. They can grant up to 21 hours a week on their own authority, and more with approval from senior management. Nursing hours can be funded as well as personal support.
Can I choose my own provider?
Yes. Choice of provider is the reason the program exists. You hire the agency you want and pay the invoice using your monthly funding.
Can I add hours beyond what the program funds?
Yes. Many families use the funded hours as a base and buy additional care privately on top. Our minimum shift is four hours.
Who reports to Ontario Health atHome?
You do. The client or substitute decision-maker manages the funding and reports on how it was spent. Guardian gives you notes on the care delivered so you have what you need for that.
Talk with our care team today.
Running the program when you do not live nearby
Family-Managed Home Care puts an adult child or a substitute decision-maker in charge of the funding and the schedule. That is manageable from across the city and harder from another province. Guardian covers the day-to-day so the person managing the program is not also the person arranging every shift.
If you are caring from afar, or have a demanding job
- Care that is straightforward to begin and built around the needs in your plan
- Payment options that suit how your funding arrives
- Time back, so you can focus on your family and the rest of your commitments
Knowing what is happening with your parent
- Regular updates on how your loved one is doing
- Continuous review of the care plan, with changes made as needs shift
- A heads-up when supplies or equipment are needed
Guardian covers more than the hours on the roster
- Depth of experience providing home health care for seniors across Toronto
- Nursing Care Management available 24/7, with close attention to the detail of each plan
- Medical equipment coordinated for you, including purchase, rental, and installation
- Coordination with physiotherapists, massage therapists, chiropodists, and your pharmacy
Getting help quickly
- Sign-up without hassle, handled electronically if that is easier
- A quick response when you need care arranged
- Personal support put in place quickly when a family is in crisis
- Care delivered in a retirement home, a nursing home, private duty in hospital, or your own home
What our clients say
“I know that mom improved because of the care and support from your caregivers. Thank you.”
“Thank you for the caregivers you sent to look after mom. They were gems and we could not have gotten through those last few days without their help.”
Talk with our care team today.
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Talk it through with a nurse
A Registered Nurse visits at no cost to understand what your loved one needs and how that fits your plan of service. Care can often start quickly, sometimes the same day, depending on the circumstances.