Hospitals in Hamilton may not be able to force seniors to take the first available long term care bed that comes up, but than can make it hard to refuse by offering a difficult choice: pay $300 per day to stay in the hospital, return home or take the long term bed that's open.
Not everyone's happy with that approach.
"We don't believe it's legal for any hospital to charge anything more than the same rate as a long-term- care home," said Jane Meadus, a lawyer for the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly in Toronto. "We probably get a call once a day on this from somewhere in the province."
This isn't just happening in Hamilton - hospital executives say legislation backs them up, and the tactic used across Ontario is endorsed by Health Minister George Smitherman.
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Stories by Joanna Frketich, photos by Cathie Coward
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