PLEASE HELP MY MOM AND ALL LONG-TERM CARE RESIDENTS!

2026 UPDATE: My Mom Got Into Long-Term Care. The Problem Didn’t End There.

In 2024, I started this petition because my mom, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, was struggling to access appropriate long-term care while she was still only 60 years old.

More than 11,000 people signed.

After sustained advocacy, she was eventually accepted into Forest Hill Long-Term Care. I remain forever grateful to Forest Hill for taking her in when other homes would not.

But getting her into long-term care exposed another problem.

My mom is now 62. She is still very physically capable of walking.

She can walk holding one hand. She can use a walker. She has recently taken numerous independent steps. The more opportunities she has to move, the more upright and mobile she becomes.

Yet her scheduled supervised walking is currently only 15 minutes, five times per week. 75 minutes per week in total. 

An external clinician has now recommended at least 10 minutes of ambulation three times per day, every day, to start and be reassessed, along with a formal occupational therapy assessment.

That is at least 30 minutes of walking every day. My mom is fully capable of much more as we go on walks for hours together. 

The issue is not simply whether my mom can walk.

Because of her Alzheimer’s disease and fall risk, she usually needs another person beside her to walk safely.

That requires staff time.

And staff time is limited.

My mom entered long-term care highly mobile

Before her physical decline, my mom walked constantly. Walking was one of the major abilities she retained despite Alzheimer’s disease. She was always the type of person who never sat still, and continues to be that person when given the opportunity. 

In 2025, she experienced an unwitnessed fall in the home that resulted in a hip fracture requiring surgery. Around that period, her posture and mobility deteriorated dramatically. She later developed scoliosis and became increasingly reliant on a wheelchair. Over time, that increased wheelchair use contributed to further deconditioning and muscle loss, which made it progressively harder for her to get back out of the chair and walk. Her doctor has since emphasized that, wherever medically safe and possible, the goal should be to maximize time out of the wheelchair because prolonged immobility can further reduce strength and function.

But “unsafe to walk independently” is not the same as “unable to walk.”

My mom can still walk.

Recently, I was told she would receive only her 15 minutes of walking because no additional staff member was available to supervise her. Balancing work, children, and caregiving is a challenging process when I am her only local family. 

I will always do what I can for my mom.

Family involvement can be incredibly valuable, but it cannot be the staffing model that determines whether a long-term-care resident gets to keep walking. Some residents have large families nearby. Some, like my mom, have very limited family locally. Others have small families, relatives who live far away, or no family at all. A resident’s ability to preserve basic mobility should not depend on how many relatives they have, how close they live, or whether those relatives can leave work and other responsibilities to provide care.

This started with early-onset dementia. It has become something bigger.

Before my mom entered long-term care, she fell through another gap.

Because she was under 65 and needed secure dementia care, appropriate placement was extremely difficult to find. At one point, she was kept on a locked psychiatric unit because there was nowhere more appropriate for her to go.

She was later moved into transitional care that was still essentially a hospital environment, without the normal activity, exercise, social engagement, and dementia-specific setting she needed.

Eventually, she got a bed.

At first, my mom needed a place.

Now she needs a person.

And this issue affects far more than younger people with dementia.

Every resident in Ontario long-term care deserves enough staffing, rehabilitation, mobility support, and individualized care to preserve as much function, dignity, and quality of life as possible.

I am asking the Ontario government and Ministry of Long-Term Care to:

1) increase staffing and rehabilitation capacity in long-term care;
2) ensure residents who can still walk have meaningful access to supervised mobility support;
3) improve access to physiotherapy, occupational therapy, restorative care, and rehabilitation;
4) ensure care plans reflect residents’ actual functional needs, not simply the staff time available;
5) address the specific gaps faced by younger people with early-onset dementia;
6) ensure families are partners in care, without expecting them to replace publicly funded staffing;
7) protect mobility, dignity, independence, comfort, and quality of life for every resident.

My mom is showing us that she can still walk.

Two medical professionals are telling us she should be walking more.

Ontario’s long-term-care system should have the resources to help her keep that ability for as long as possible.

And every resident deserves the same chance.

Thank-you again to Forest Hill and all staff for taking care of my mom and supporting us along the way. They have done everything they can within their current funding limitations and MORE. The problem remains beyond the staff, beyond the homes, and with the Ministry of Long-Term Care. 

Please sign and share if you believe Ontario long-term-care residents deserve care that protects their mobility, dignity, and quality of life.

 

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ORIGINAL PETITION: 

Remove Age Restrictions for Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Care in Ontario Long-Term Care Homes

This is a petition to change the age restrictions on psychiatric services in long-term care homes for early-onset Alzheimer's patients in Ontario. 

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Update: We have made some progress! Thanks to the support of our MPP and various advocates, my mother has been admitted to a long-term care home. This is a crucial step, and I am grateful for everyone who helped us get here.

However, despite this progress, my mother still faces limitations due to existing policies. She does not yet qualify for the full range of psychiatric resources, which are critical for managing her Alzheimer’s (especially in a crisis state) and maintaining her quality of life.

We will continue to push for the removal of these age-based restrictions and advocate for access to comprehensive care for all early-onset Alzheimer’s patients. Please continue to share and support this petition so we can make lasting changes in Ontario’s healthcare system. Thank you for your ongoing support.

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My name is Savannah, and I am calling on the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to change the age restrictions for psychiatric services in long-term care homes. My 60-year-old mother has early-onset Alzheimer's disease but is denied the care she needs because current policies limit psychiatric services to those aged 65 or older, creating a significant systemic barrier.

This policy traps my mother and others like her in a harmful gap in our healthcare system. Long-term care homes cannot admit her because she is under 65 and would have no psychiatric care, which is crucial for people with dementia, and the community resources she would usually qualify for are inaccessible due to her being in a transitional care unit at the Ottawa General Hospital. The system considers it “double-dipping” if she receives both hospital care and community services, leaving her without a clear path forward.

The transitional care unit, where she currently stays, lacks the essential enrichment that long-term care facilities provide, such as daily activities, exercise programs, and social engagement opportunities. These are critical for maintaining the well-being and cognitive function of someone with Alzheimer’s, yet they are unavailable in her current setting.

This situation is both unreasonable and inhumane. Is the system expecting her to wait in a hospital for nearly five years before accessing the services she needs? People with early-onset Alzheimer’s deserve appropriate care regardless of their age. My mother needs a long-term care home with specialized support now, not years from now. 

We ask the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to:

1. Remove the age restriction for psychiatric services in long-term care homes for those with early-onset Alzheimer’s and similar conditions.

2. Allow people in transitional care units to access community resources without being penalized by the “double-dipping” rule.

3. Ensure immediate and accessible care solutions for early-onset Alzheimer’s patients who don’t fit within existing age categories.

Please sign and share this petition to demand compassionate and fair care for people with early-onset Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative conditions in Ontario.