Anyone living in Ontario with a valid OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) card can be assessed for publicly funded home care through Ontario Health atHome. If a care coordinator finds you eligible, "the Ontario government pays for home care," in the province's own words (ontario.ca, updated May 5, 2026).
To start, call 1-833-515-1234, which connects you to your nearest Ontario Health atHome office. The earlier 310-2222 number (no area code) still appears on some agency handouts. You do not need a doctor's referral. A son, a daughter, a friend or the person who needs care can make the call.
Below: who qualifies, what is covered, and how to get a personal support worker (PSW). Then how many hours to expect, and what to do when they are not enough. Every rule here comes from ontario.ca, ontariohealthathome.ca or Ontario's home care regulation, checked on October 22, 2026.
Who runs Ontario Health atHome?
Ontario Health atHome is a provincial Crown agency and part of Ontario Health. It was formed on June 28, 2024, when Ontario merged its 14 Home and Community Care Support Services organizations into one. It arranges publicly funded home care, connects people to community services, and runs the application process for long-term care homes.
If you remember calling the LHIN (Local Health Integration Network) for home care, this is the same service. The LHINs were renamed Home and Community Care Support Services in April 2021. Those 14 organizations became Ontario Health atHome in 2024.
Who is eligible for Ontario Health atHome home care?
You can be assessed if you live in Ontario and have a valid OHIP card. Whether you then qualify depends on your needs. A care coordinator looks at what help you need. They also check that your home is set up for care and safe enough for the care worker. There is no minimum age.
Ontario's home care rules are set out in a regulation under the Connecting Care Act, 2019 (Ontario Regulation 187/22). For personal support, it lists three tests:
- You are insured under OHIP.
- Your home has what is needed to give the care there.
- The care worker is not at serious risk of harm, or the risk can be lowered with reasonable steps.
Home care is not only for seniors. Ontario says it is for people of all ages who need care at home, at school or in the community. That includes people living with a chronic condition, people recovering after a hospital stay, people who need palliative care, and people with a disability who need longer-term support.
Homemaking is not offered on its own. Help with cleaning, laundry or shopping comes with the plan only in two main cases. You also receive personal support, or you need constant supervision because of a cognitive impairment or brain injury. If your parent mainly needs help with the house, a community service or private help is the more likely route.
Still deciding between help at home and a move? Our look at what home care costs compared with a retirement home in Canada sets out the trade-offs.
Before you call: what to have ready
Most of the first call is the care coordinator learning about your parent's day. Having these details in front of you makes it shorter and helps the coordinator see what is needed.
| Have ready | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Your parent's OHIP number, address and date of birth | A valid OHIP card is the starting point for an assessment |
| Their family doctor's name, if they have one | Useful if the coordinator asks who else is involved in their care |
| Any recent hospital stay, surgery or new diagnosis | Ontario lists care after a hospital stay among the reasons for home care |
| What they need help with each day: bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, medications | Personal support covers these daily activities |
| Who helps now, and when | Help from a family caregiver is part of the picture, and can affect homemaking eligibility |
| The layout of the home: stairs, bathroom, where they sleep | The home must be set up so care can be given safely |
| Pets or anything else a visitor should know | Care workers must be able to work without serious risk of harm |
| Whether your parent knows you are calling, and agrees | The plan is made with the person receiving care |
What to say when you call: "I'm calling to ask about home care for my mother. She lives in [town]. Since [what changed], she needs help with [two or three specific tasks]. Can a care coordinator assess her?"
If you qualify for home care in Ontario, the province pays for it. Call 1-833-515-1234 to ask for an assessment. Anyone can make the call.
Do you have to pay for Ontario Health atHome? Is it covered by OHIP?
No, not for the home care services you are approved for. "If you qualify, the Ontario government pays for home care," ontario.ca says, and Ontario Health atHome says its services are covered through OHIP. Some medical supplies and equipment may carry a fee, and some community services charge a co-payment.
Here is what that means in practice:
| Service | What it covers | Cost if approved |
|---|---|---|
| Care coordination | Assessment, the care plan, changes as needs change | No charge |
| Nursing | Nursing care at home, including end-of-life care | No charge |
| Therapy | Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, social work, nutrition counselling | No charge |
| Personal support (PSW) | Bathing, dressing, eating, toileting | No charge |
| Homemaking | Cleaning, laundry, shopping, when it comes with personal support (or the supervision rule) | No charge in those cases; a provider may charge for homemaking outside them |
| Medical supplies and equipment | Supplies and equipment needed for your care | Some fees may apply |
| Community support services | Meals, transportation, adult day programs | Can have a co-payment |
Sources: ontario.ca home and community care (updated May 5, 2026), Ontario Health atHome home care and getting started pages, and O. Reg. 187/22, all checked October 22, 2026.
Ontario also lists Assisted Living Services, for people who need more help than scheduled visits but not nursing around the clock. Some community services are only offered in larger communities, so ask what exists near your parent.
How do you get a PSW through Ontario Health atHome?
Call Ontario Health atHome at 1-833-515-1234 and ask for a home care assessment. A care coordinator assesses your needs and, if you qualify for personal support, builds a care plan that sets how much help you get. Then the visits begin.
The steps, from first call to first visit:
- Make the referral. "Anyone can refer a patient to Ontario Health atHome," the agency says: you, a family member, a caregiver, a friend, your physician or another health care professional. If your parent is in hospital, ask for the hospital's Ontario Health atHome care coordinator.
- Talk with a care coordinator. They make an initial assessment of needs and eligibility. Ontario says a care coordinator may visit the home to understand the needs better.
- Get a care plan. If your parent qualifies, the plan is made with them and anyone they choose to include. By law it must state how much of each service they get and for how long.
- Start the visits. Your first visit with a care provider follows, and your care team adjusts the plan over time.
- Ask for a reassessment when things change. Needs are reassessed as circumstances change, such as after a fall, a new diagnosis or a caregiver's change in work.
If your parent does not qualify, the care coordinator "will explain why and will help you find alternatives," according to Ontario Health atHome. TTY users can dial 711 and ask for their local office.
How many hours of home care can you get in Ontario?
There is no fixed number. Ontario's current home care regulation does not set a weekly or monthly cap on personal support hours. Your care plan states how much of each service you get and for how long, based on your assessed needs. The amount can change when your needs change.
If you see a set number of hours quoted online, check its date. Older figures came from earlier rules that the current regulation (O. Reg. 187/22) replaced.
Wait lists are real. Sometimes a service in the care plan is not available right away. The regulation says you then go on a wait list and must be told when it becomes available. Ontario Health atHome says people with the most urgent and complex needs are seen first. Each regional office publishes its own wait-list figures on ontariohealthathome.ca.
What if the home care hours are not enough?
Start by asking the care coordinator for a reassessment. If you still think the hours are too few, you can appeal the amount of a service to the Health Services Appeal and Review Board. Many families also combine public hours with private care, the Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit, respite and community services.
Ask for a reassessment. Needs change, and the plan is supposed to change with them. Write down what has changed since the last assessment.
Appeal the decision. Ontario lets you appeal decisions about eligibility, the amount of a service in the care plan, a service left out of the plan, or a service ending. The Health Services Appeal and Review Board is at 1-866-282-2179 (416-327-8512 in Toronto). You can also make a complaint to Ontario Health atHome, or contact the Patient Ombudsman at 1-888-321-0339.
Add private care. "You can also pay for your own care through private companies," ontario.ca says. You can add private hours on top of the public plan, for example in the evenings.
Claim the tax credit. The Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit is for people 70 or older. It pays back up to 25% of eligible medical expenses up to $6,000, for a maximum of $1,500 a year. It shrinks once family net income passes $35,000 and is gone by $65,000. Attendant care can count if it is certified. Our guide to the Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit walks through who can claim it and how.
Ask about respite. In-home respite is fully covered if Ontario Health atHome approves it. A short stay in a long-term care home can last up to 60 days, with a limit of 90 days in a calendar year. Most adult day programs charge a daily fee and need a referral from your care coordinator. For more places to look, see our guide on finding respite care in Canada.
Planning for the hours between visits
Even a generous care plan covers set visits, not the whole day. A PSW might come in the morning for a bath and breakfast. Then your parent may be on their own until supper or until someone checks in.
It helps to plan those hours as carefully as the visits. Agree on who calls and when, keep a list of neighbours who can stop by, and decide what your parent will do if they need help between visits. Weighing ways to keep in touch from a distance? Our comparison of senior monitoring devices in Canada explains what cameras, sensors, check-in calls and wearable help buttons each tell you, and what they do not.
Can Ontario Health atHome help with long-term care?
Yes. Ontario Health atHome coordinates the assessment, application and admission process for long-term care homes across Ontario. You apply through the same agency, usually at an in-person meeting with a care coordinator. You can choose up to five homes, and wait times vary widely.
To be eligible for a long-term care home, a person must:
- Be at least 18 and insured under OHIP.
- Need nursing care available 24 hours a day, or help with daily activities at frequent intervals throughout the day.
- Have needs that the publicly funded services available in the community cannot meet, in any combination.
- Have care needs that a long-term care home can meet.
When a bed opens in a home you chose, you have 24 hours to accept or refuse and up to five days to move in. Refusing an offer, or missing the move-in date, takes your name off every wait list. You then wait 12 weeks to reapply, unless your condition or circumstances change a lot.
In a long-term care home, the province pays for nursing and personal care, and the resident pays for accommodation. We cover the rates and the help available in what long-term care costs in Ontario.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get paid to be a caregiver for a family member in Ontario?
Usually not through home care. Ontario's Family-Managed Home Care program gives funding to buy care or hire care providers. It is only for set groups: children with complex medical needs, adults with an acquired brain injury, some home-schooled children, and people in extraordinary circumstances. They must first qualify for regular home care. Ask the care coordinator whether your situation fits.
What is the difference between long-term care and home care?
Home care brings nurses, therapists and personal support workers to your home for set visits, and the province pays for approved services. A long-term care home is where you live, with nursing care available around the clock. There, the province pays for nursing and personal care, and you pay for room and board.
Can you get home care while you wait for long-term care?
Yes. Ontario says many people can stay at home with community supports while they wait, such as personal support worker visits or community paramedicine. Ontario's community paramedicine program for long-term care also serves people on the wait list. Tell the care coordinator if needs change while you wait, so the plan can be reassessed.
What is the LHIN called now?
The LHINs no longer exist. On April 1, 2021, Ontario's 14 Local Health Integration Networks began operating as Home and Community Care Support Services. On June 28, 2024, those 14 organizations were merged into one agency, Ontario Health atHome. The agency's current number is 1-833-515-1234. The earlier 310-2222 line still appears on some of its handouts.
One call to start
If someone in your family needs help at home, the first step this week is one phone call: 1-833-515-1234. Have the checklist above in front of you, describe the hardest part of the day in plain words, and ask for an assessment. The care plan, the visits and the next decisions can follow from there.
