Nursing Homes and Homes for the Aged - FAQ

I want to make a complaint about a nursing home or home for the aged. How do I do this?

A complaint may be made directly to a compliance advisor who works for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Anyone wanting to make a complaint about a home can find out the name of the compliance advisor for the home and how to contact the compliance advisor by contacting the Regional Office of the Ministry [link to website listing addresses and telephone numbers for Regional Offices]. The compliance advisor will investigate the complaint.

Residents or others may also make a complaint to a staff person, the administrator of the facility, or the resident’s council at the facility. Each home is required by law to inform every resident how to make a complaint and to post this information in a public place in the home.

The Bill of Rights for residents of nursing homes and homes for the aged says that every resident must be informed in writing about how to make a complaint. The Bill of Rights also says that residents have the right to raise concerns “without fear of restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal”.