## Alberta's single point of access
In Alberta, Alberta Health Services (AHS) manages long-term care placement through Continuing Care Access — a single point of access that coordinates assessments and connects applicants with available long-term care and designated supportive living spaces. A needs assessment determines the right level of care, and in a genuine crisis, this process can move considerably faster than a routine application.
If your parent is currently hospitalized in Edmonton and can't safely return home, the hospital's discharge planner or unit social worker is usually the fastest route to an expedited Continuing Care Access assessment. If the situation is developing at home, contacting Continuing Care Access directly starts the same process.
## What actually speeds things up in Edmonton
**Document the urgency concretely** — a hospital discharge date, a specific unsafe incident at home, or a caregiver who can no longer safely cope.
**Be open to more than one facility.** Applicants who accept several compatible options are generally matched to an available bed considerably faster than those insisting on a single preferred home.
**Widen the search across the greater Edmonton area.** A facility in Sherwood Park, St. Albert or the southside may have a compatible opening sooner than one centrally located.
**Ask specifically about designated supportive living or short-term beds** as a bridge while a long-term care placement is arranged.
## What wastes time
Waiting for the full assessment before researching any facilities. Insisting on a single preferred location before knowing what's actually available.
## A practical shortcut
**Curalune Care Help** puts together a shortlist of 3-5 compatible long-term care homes across the Edmonton area, usually within 24 working hours, with direct contacts and the right first-call questions — so the family's energy goes into decisions, not research.