In this guide
Families often ask us the same first question: "Doesn't the government cover this?" The answer is: some of it, for people who qualify, based on an assessment. This guide explains what publicly funded home care in Ontario covers, how the amount is decided, and where private care fits.
What Ontario Health atHome is
Ontario Health atHome is the provincial agency that arranges home and community care that the Ontario government pays for. According to the Government of Ontario, home care is for people of all ages who need care at home, at school or in the community, and eligibility is confirmed through an assessment.
To start, call Ontario Health atHome. The City of Toronto lists the number as 310-2222 (no area code), and the Government of Ontario lists 1-833-515-1234. You can also ask the hospital team for a referral before a discharge.
What public home care covers
The Government of Ontario lists these publicly funded services at home:
- Nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, social work and nutrition support.
- Personal support: help with bathing, dressing and eating.
- Homemaking, but only if you also receive personal support, or need constant supervision because of cognitive impairment or a brain injury.
- End-of-life care at home.
If you qualify, the province pays for this care. Some community support services can have a co-payment.
How the hours are decided
A care coordinator assesses your parent's needs. The care plan is then based on those assessed needs and on the services available in your community, and it is reassessed if needs change.
That is why the hours are often fewer than families expect. Woodgreen Community Services, a Toronto non-profit, estimated in its 2024 guide that people with low to medium needs typically receive about one to six personal support hours a week, medium to high needs seven to 14, and the highest needs 15 to 28.
Where the gaps usually are
Public home care focuses on personal care tasks a person cannot do alone. Families most often need extra help with:
- More hours than the plan allows, or longer visits.
- The first days after a hospital stay. Public care does not always begin the day someone gets home, and physiotherapy and other visits are often booked separately. Ask for each first-visit date before discharge.
- Overnight help, especially in the first week after a hospital stay.
- Housekeeping, meals and errands when personal support is not part of the plan.
- Company and supervision, for a parent who should not be alone for long stretches.
- Flexible timing, such as a set morning routine or help on Shabbat and holidays.
Private home care: what it is and what it costs
Private home care is arranged and paid for by the family, either through an agency or by hiring a caregiver directly. The Government of Ontario notes you can pay for your own care through private companies at any time.
Costs vary with the type of care and the hours. Woodgreen's 2024 guide estimated private agencies in Toronto at about $30 to $45 an hour, usually with a minimum visit of three hours, and non-profit community agencies at about $18 to $28 an hour, with high demand. Ask any provider for a written, itemized quote. At RightKind Care™, families get one after a free in-home assessment.
Using both together
Public and private care work best together. The public plan covers what it can, and private help fills the rest. At RightKind Care, we work alongside any government-funded care your parent receives and fill the hours it does not cover, and a care coordinator keeps both schedules straight. Here is what that coordinator does day to day. See personal care, companionship and recovery and respite care.
If you are deciding between staying at home and moving, read home care or a retirement home? next.
Questions families ask
Does Ontario Health atHome cost anything?
If your parent qualifies, the Ontario government pays for publicly funded home care. Some community support services can have a co-payment.
Can we have public home care and private care at the same time?
Yes. Many families keep the public plan and add private hours for the gaps, such as overnights, housekeeping or company.
What if the public hours are not enough?
Call your care coordinator and ask for a reassessment if needs have changed. For hours beyond the plan, private care can be added.
Sources
New swelling noticed and passed on, creams tracked, appointments handled, and a short summary for the doctor, with your OK.
See how care coordination works →
Moshe started RightKind Care after his own family needed extra help at home. He writes these guides so other families have the plain answers he wished he had. Read his story →
