Your parent is in hospital. The care team says she no longer needs hospital care, but she can't go back to living on her own, and the long-term care home you applied to doesn't have a bed yet. If your family is waiting for long-term care in hospital, this guide is for you.
We recently supported a family in exactly this position. Their story is shared with their permission, with identifying details left out. Below, we walk through what they faced, how the process works in Ontario, and the options families have while they wait. The rules are different in every province, so if your parent lives elsewhere in Canada, ask the hospital team about your province's program. Our guide to navigating long-term care across provincial lines can help too.
What does waiting for long-term care in hospital look like?
The family's loved one was already on the long-term care wait list when she was admitted to hospital. She could no longer live independently, so she needed somewhere safe to live while she waited for a long-term care bed.
Meanwhile, her family was taking overnight shifts at the hospital because the system couldn't provide the level of care she needed. They were trying to coordinate her next placement at the same time.
They already knew about GALA because we helped with getting the family on the waitlist for long-term care, so they reached out when their mom ended in the hospital. Our Care Concierge met with the hospital's social workers, we updated our care assessment report to share with retirement homes, and searched for the best-fit option within the family's tight budget. The family is now clear on where she goes next.
Who arranges long-term care in Ontario?
In Ontario, all applications and admissions to long-term care homes are arranged by Ontario Health atHome, according to the Ontario government. If your parent is in hospital, the hospital will have an Ontario Health atHome care coordinator. Ask to meet them, and the hospital social worker, as early as you can.
A few things to know about the process:
- You can choose up to five long-term care homes, in order of preference.
- Wait times vary by home. Your placement coordinator can tell you about the wait for specific homes.
- When a bed is offered, you have 24 hours to accept or decline, and up to five days to move in.
- Long-term care is for people who need 24-hour nursing and personal care. Our guide to elder care service types explains how it differs from other options.
What changes when your parent is waiting in hospital?
Ontario Health atHome publishes a guide for hospital patients called Transitioning from hospital to long-term care. For patients who no longer need acute hospital care, it explains that:
- A placement coordinator works with you to find a home that can meet your parent's care needs. It may be your first choice, or another home where your parent lives while continuing to wait for the first choice.
- Homes are selected within 70 km of your preferred location, or within 150 km or further if your preferred location is in the North East or North West regions of the province.
- If your parent moves into a home selected by the placement coordinator, they stay on the wait list for their top five choices.
- If your parent has received an offer of a long-term care bed and chooses to remain in hospital, the hospital will charge $400 per day.
Declining a bed offer has consequences, and the two official sources describe them differently. The province's general guidance says that if you turn down a placement offer, you are removed from every waiting list and must wait 12 weeks to reapply, unless there is a significant change in your condition or circumstances. The hospital guide says patients who decline remain on the wait list, with the $400 daily charge if they stay in hospital. Ask your placement coordinator exactly how the rules apply to your parent before you decide.
If you have concerns about the process, the guide lists the Long-Term Care Family Support and Action Line at 1-866-434-0144 and the Patient Ombudsman at 1-888-321-0339.
Can a retirement home bridge the wait for long-term care?
For some families, yes. It's the route the family in our story took. Here is what the Ontario government says about retirement homes:
- You apply directly to the home, and there are no eligibility criteria.
- The government does not fund retirement homes. Residents pay the full cost of their rent, meals and any care services they buy through the home.
- Residents can still arrange publicly funded care, or pay an outside provider for care.
- Homes may sell care services such as help with bathing and dressing, giving medications, nursing care and dementia care. The type and level of care varies from home to home.
- Retirement homes do not provide 24-hour nursing care.
- Every retirement home in Ontario is regulated by the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA). You can confirm a home is licensed and read its inspection reports in the RHRA's retirement home database.
Two questions to settle before you commit:
- Can this home meet my parent's care needs today, and what will it cost? Ask each home for its itemized list of accommodation and care services with prices. The Ontario government says homes should provide it to anyone who asks.
- How will this move affect my parent's place on the long-term care wait list? Ask your Ontario Health atHome placement coordinator before you sign anything.
What does each option cost?
- Long-term care: the Ontario government pays for nursing and personal care, and residents pay a co-payment for accommodation and meals. The maximum for a basic room is $70.00 a day, or $2,129.17 a month, effective July 1, 2026, according to the Ontario government. Residents in basic accommodation who can't afford the co-payment may qualify for the Long-Term Care Rate Reduction Program.
- Retirement home: paid privately. Costs depend on the home and the care services you buy, so compare itemized price lists.
- Care at home while you wait: publicly funded home care is arranged through Ontario Health atHome, and some families add private care. See our guide to what home care costs in Ontario.
What should you ask the hospital team?
Bring these questions to your next conversation with the care coordinator or social worker:
- Who is our Ontario Health atHome care coordinator, and when can we meet?
- Which homes are on our parent's list, and what is the wait for each?
- What are our options while we wait: home with support, a retirement home, or a long-term care home that isn't our first choice?
- If we take one of those options, what happens to our place on the wait list for our preferred homes?
- What happens if we decline a bed offer?
- Can we have a written summary of our parent's daily care needs to share with homes?
How can GALA's Care Concierge help?
You don't have to work this out between overnight shifts. GALA's Care Concierge works alongside your family to identify suitable residences, compare your options, coordinate with homes and keep things moving through to move-in. GALA Cares will do the hard work so you don’t have to.
Placement support is free when you choose a participating GALA partner residence, because the residence compensates GALA. If you choose a residence that isn't a partner, the fee is $1,500 + HST. The choice of home is always yours, and our recommendations are based on your family's needs, preferences, budget, location and circumstances.
Is your parent in hospital and waiting for long-term care? Talk to a GALA Care Concierge and we'll help you plan the next step.
Frequently asked questions
Can my parent stay in hospital until a long-term care bed opens?
Ontario Health atHome's hospital guide says hospitals are not designed for the needs of patients who no longer require acute care, and that a placement coordinator will work with you on a move to a home that can meet your parent's needs. If your parent receives a bed offer and chooses to stay in hospital, the hospital will charge $400 per day.
Does the Ontario government pay for retirement homes?
No. The Ontario government does not fund retirement homes. Residents pay the full cost of rent, meals and the care services they buy through the home. They can still arrange publicly funded care.
How much does long-term care cost in Ontario?
Nursing and personal care are paid for by the Ontario government. Residents pay a co-payment for accommodation and meals, to a maximum of $70.00 a day ($2,129.17 a month) for a basic room, effective July 1, 2026.
How many long-term care homes can you apply to in Ontario?
You can choose up to five homes, in order of preference, on your application through Ontario Health atHome.
Does this guide apply outside Ontario?
No. The steps, fees and phone numbers here are Ontario's. Every province runs its own long-term care placement process, so ask the hospital team or your provincial home care program how it works where your parent lives.
This article is for general information and isn't medical, legal or financial advice. Rules and rates are those published by the Ontario government and Ontario Health atHome as of October 2026.