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Making the decision to seek care isn’t always easy. However, learning more about the process can help simplify the transition for you or a loved one is a great first step. Omni is more than happy to help guide you through this process. Please contact one of our residences to learn more about our services. Below, we’ve addressed a question we receive often in the industry.

How is a long-term care residence different from a retirement residence?

Good question. Not only are long-term care residences and retirement residences different from each other, but their differences vary between provinces. Understanding the differences can help you and your loved ones make informed decisions for these next steps in life. These differentiations range from small day-to-day details to big life decisions, like financial or health needs, but there are some integral differences that can help you understand what might work best for you:

“Long-term care” is legally defined

Long-term care is a legally defined term. In Ontario, long-term care residences are licensed, monitored, and regulated by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. This definition is important, because it means that you can always rely on provincial regulations to set a precedent for the standard and type of care that you will receive when in a long-term care home.

Public vs. Private

Retirement residences are privately run organizations, while long-term care residences are often public. In private retirement residences, less extensive regulations mean that a wider range of lifestyles can be catered to.

Type of Care

Those who choose a retirement residence over long-term care may often require less assistance and supportive measures, such as 3 meal a day service, daily laundry, housekeeping, 24-hour nursing care, or assistance with activities of daily living. Long-term care residences typically provide more extensive nursing, personal care, and rehabilitation services than retirement residences.

At Omni, our long-term care residences are upheld to the highest standard of provincially regulated care while simultaneouslyattaining a “retirement residence” feeling in the development of programming and personal satisfaction of our residents. Omni’s New Brunswick residences offer a range of different levels of care from Independent Living (L1), Assisted Living (L2), and Memory Care (L3B). With the opportunity to progress through these care styles under the same residence, one can move from independence to assistance easily. This provides stability and familiarity, knowing that each resident will have dedicated staff and commitment to their care plans as life changes.

Focusing on care at our core, our team provides specialized care plans to each one of our residents. This care extends beyond the health of our residents but encourages their fulfilment and happiness as a core pillar of health. This means that Omni long-term care residences include nutritional care, entertainment, and activities, keeping residents engaged and upholding high quality living.

The differences between long-term care residences and retirement residences are in the details — but those details are considerable when you are choosing your path to senior living regardless. We believe that knowledge is power, and we love sharing ours. Whether you’re just starting your research on the future of your resident journey or you’re in the final stages of making this decision, know that at Omni, you are supported in kindness and care every step of the way.

For more information about our residences, visit our residences page.