These two options are often confused, but they are very different. A long-term care (LTC) home (sometimes still called a nursing home) is for people with high, ongoing care needs who need nursing available 24/7. It is government-funded and government-regulated, with capped accommodation costs — but you must be assessed as eligible and usually join a waitlist.
Retirement homes
A retirement home is private housing for older adults who are largely independent but want meals, activities, some support and safety. You rent privately and can usually move in quickly, but you pay the full monthly fee and care beyond a basic level costs extra.
How to choose
If the person needs help through the night, has complex medical needs, or has dementia with wandering risk, an LTC home is usually the safer fit. If they are mostly independent and the main need is company, meals and light help, a retirement home can be right — sometimes with provincial home-care hours delivered inside. Many families use a retirement home first and move to LTC when needs rise.
How to use this guide in practice
Don’t read this as general information — use it as a worksheet. Write down the details of the person who needs care, the current limits of the situation at home, the monthly budget, the documents you already have, whether the person may qualify for a provincial subsidy or rate reduction, and who you’ve already spoken with. Then turn every unclear point into a specific question. A family that arrives with a clear picture usually gets more useful answers than one calling under stress with scattered information.
Keep one simple rule: anything about admission, cost, funding, waitlists and whether a home fits must be confirmed directly with the home or the competent authority serving your area. This guide prepares the search — it does not replace official decisions.
Want a clear shortlist before you start calling?
If you don’t know which homes to contact first, Curalune Care Help can prepare an ordered shortlist of 3–5 suitable long-term care or retirement homes — with contacts, useful links, a ready-to-send enquiry and the right questions to ask.
The service helps you organise the search.CA$99, one-off. If you don't receive at least 3 homes matching the area and criteria you gave us, we refund you in full. It does not replace the home’s own assessment or the provincial placement process, and it does not guarantee admission, price or a bed.
Important limit
Curalune offers practical help with the search and orientation. Admission, pricing, bed availability, eligibility and the final assessment always rest with the homes and the competent authorities (the provincial Ministry of Health, the regional placement / home-and-community-care service, and — for subsidies — the provincial program office).