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Bill 121, Improving Dementia Care in Ontario Act, 2024

Smith, Laura

Royal Assent received. Statutes of Ontario 2024,

chapter 32

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Status

Debates

Royal Assent

Original

Bill 121 Royal Assent (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

This Explanatory Note was written as a reader’s

aid to Bill 121 and does not form part of the law.

Bill 121 has been enacted as

Chapter 32 of the Statutes of Ontario, 2024.

The

Bill enacts the Improving Dementia Care in Ontario Act,

2024 , which would require the following:

1. The

Minister of Health must develop a provincial framework designed to support

improved access to dementia care. The Minister must table a report setting out

the provincial framework in the Legislative Assembly and, afterwards, must

prepare and table a report on the state of dementia care in Ontario. Each

report must be published on a Government of Ontario website.

2. The

Ministry of Colleges and Universities must review its “Personal Support Worker

Standard” to determine if certain changes should be made, including whether to

require in-depth learning about person-centred dementia care.

Bill 121 2024

Act to enact the Improving Dementia Care in Ontario Act, 2024

His

Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the

Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Provincial

framework on dementia care

Purpose

(1) The

purpose of this

section is to develop a framework to ensure that every Ontarian

has access to quality dementia care.

Development

of framework

(2) The

Minister of Health shall develop a provincial framework designed to support

improved access to dementia care, provided through hospitals, home care,

long-term care homes, hospices and community care services, that, among

other things,

(

a) promotes

person-centred dementia care;

(

b) defines

what person-centred dementia care is;

(

c) identifies

the person-centred dementia care training and education needs of health care

providers as well as other caregivers;

(

d) identifies

measures to support dementia care providers;

(

e) identifies

research and common data elements on dementia care;

(

f) identifies

measures to facilitate equitable access to dementia care across Ontario, including

strategies to increase awareness of programs such as the First Link program

offered through the Alzheimer Society of Ontario;

(

g) identifies

measures to facilitate consistent access to dementia care across Ontario;

(

h) takes

into consideration existing dementia care frameworks, strategies and best

practices;

(

i) reviews

Quality Health Ontario’s Quality Standard entitled “Dementia: Care for People

Living in the Community”;

(

j) takes

into consideration and supports the needs of specific patient populations,

including women, francophone and those diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s

dementia; and

(

k) leverages

the expertise and capacities of other key partners in Ontario’s health system,

Ministry of Colleges and Universities, The Alzheimer’s Society of Ontario, the

Ontario Brain Institute, Ontario Health, Ontario Health Teams and other

providers and organizations.

Same

(3) The

Minister shall consult with dementia care providers, other affected ministries,

the federal government and any other persons or entities, and shall consider

information and feedback from those consultations, as well as from previous

consultations, in the development of the framework.

Same,

consultations

(4) The

Minister shall initiate the consultations referred to in subsection (3) in a

timely manner.

Report

to Assembly

(5) The

Minister of Health shall prepare a report setting out the provincial framework

on dementia care and shall lay the report before the Assembly in a timely

manner after this Act comes into force.

Publication

(6) The

Minister shall publish the report referred to in subsection (5) on a Government

of Ontario website, in a timely manner after the report is laid before the

Assembly.

Report

re state of dementia care in Ontario

(7) The

Minister of Health shall prepare a report on the state of dementia care in

Ontario and shall lay the report before the Assembly in a timely manner after

laying the report referred to in subsection (5) before the Assembly.

Publication

(8) The

Minister shall publish the report referred to in subsection (7) on a Government

of Ontario website, in a timely manner after the report is laid before the

Assembly.

Personal

support worker programs

(1) The

Ministry of Colleges and Universities shall review its “Personal Support Worker

Standard” to determine whether changes should be made to require any or all of

the following:

1. In-depth

learning about person-centred dementia care.

2. Experiential

training and placements that involve working with patients living with

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

3. Learning

about and practicing communication and de-escalation techniques such as gentle persuasive

approaches or other accredited techniques.

Report

to Assembly

(2) The

Minister of Colleges and Universities shall prepare a report setting out the

results of the review required by subsection (1) and shall lay the report before

the Assembly within one year after the day on which this Act comes into force.

Publication

(3) The

Minister of Colleges and Universities shall publish the report on a Government

of Ontario website within 10 days after the day on which the report is tabled

in the Assembly.

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Improving Dementia Care in Ontario Act, 2024 .

Bill 121 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill enacts the Improving Dementia Care in Ontario Act,

2023 , which would require the following:

1. The

Minister of Health must develop a provincial framework designed to support

improved access to dementia care. The Minister must table a report setting out

the provincial framework in the Legislative Assembly and, afterwards, must

prepare and table a report on the state of dementia care in Ontario. Each

report must be published on a Government of Ontario website.

2. The

Ministry of Colleges and Universities must review its “Personal Support Worker

Standard” to determine if certain changes should be made, including whether to

require in-depth learning about person-centred dementia care.

Bill 121 2023

Act to enact the Improving Dementia Care in Ontario Act, 2023

His

Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the

Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Provincial

framework on dementia care

Purpose

(1) The

purpose of this

section is to develop a framework to ensure that every Ontarian

has access to quality dementia care.

Development

of framework

(2) The

Minister of Health shall develop a provincial framework designed to support

improved access to dementia care, provided through hospitals, home care,

long-term care homes, hospices and community care services, that, among

other things,

(

a) promotes

person-centred dementia care;

(

b) defines

what person-centred dementia care is;

(

c) identifies

the person-centred dementia care training and education needs of health care

providers as well as other caregivers;

(

d) identifies

measures to support dementia care providers;

(

e) identifies

research and common data elements on dementia care;

(

f) identifies

measures to facilitate equitable access to dementia care across Ontario, including

strategies to increase awareness of programs such as the First Link program

offered through the Alzheimer Society of Ontario;

(

g) identifies

measures to facilitate consistent access to dementia care across Ontario;

(

h) takes

into consideration existing dementia care frameworks, strategies and best

practices;

(

i) reviews

Quality Health Ontario’s Quality Standard entitled “Dementia: Care for People

Living in the Community”;

(

j) takes

into consideration and supports the needs of specific patient populations,

including women, francophone and those diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s

dementia; and

(

k) leverages

the expertise and capacities of other key partners in Ontario’s health system,

Ministry of Colleges and Universities, The Alzheimer’s Society of Ontario, the

Ontario Brain Institute, Ontario Health, Ontario Health Teams and other

providers and organizations.

Same

(3) The

Minister shall consult with dementia care providers, other affected ministries,

the federal government and any other persons or entities, and shall consider

information and feedback from those consultations, as well as from previous

consultations, in the development of the framework.

Same,

consultations

(4) The

Minister shall initiate the consultations referred to in subsection (3) in a

timely manner.

Report

to Assembly

(5) The

Minister of Health shall prepare a report setting out the provincial framework

on dementia care and shall lay the report before the Assembly in a timely

manner after this Act comes into force.

Publication

(6) The

Minister shall publish the report referred to in subsection (5) on a Government

of Ontario website, in a timely manner after the report is laid before the

Assembly.

Report

re state of dementia care in Ontario

(7) The

Minister of Health shall prepare a report on the state of dementia care in

Ontario and shall lay the report before the Assembly in a timely manner after

laying the report referred to in subsection (5) before the Assembly.

Publication

(8) The

Minister shall publish the report referred to in subsection (7) on a Government

of Ontario website, in a timely manner after the report is laid before the

Assembly.

Personal

support worker programs

(1) The

Ministry of Colleges and Universities shall review its “Personal Support Worker

Standard” to determine whether changes should be made to require any or all of

the following:

1. In-depth

learning about person-centred dementia care.

2. Experiential

training and placements that involve working with patients living with

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

3. Learning

about and practicing communication and de-escalation techniques such as gentle persuasive

approaches or other accredited techniques.

Report

to Assembly

(2) The

Minister of Colleges and Universities shall prepare a report setting out the

results of the review required by subsection (1) and shall lay the report before

the Assembly within one year after the day on which this Act comes into force.

Publication

(3) The

Minister of Colleges and Universities shall publish the report on a Government

of Ontario website within 10 days after the day on which the report is tabled

in the Assembly.

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Improving Dementia Care

in Ontario Act, 2023 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

December 19, 2024

Royal Assent

Royal Assent received

December 11, 2024

Third Reading

Vote

Carried

December 11, 2024

Third Reading

Question put

December 11, 2024

Third Reading

Debated

December 11, 2024

Second Reading

Motion to arrange proceedings

December 3, 2024

Second Reading

Ordered for Third Reading

December 3, 2024

Second Reading

Report adopted

December 3, 2024

Second Reading

Reported without amendment

Standing Committee on Social Policy

December 2, 2024

Second Reading

Consideration of a Bill

Standing Committee on Social Policy

October 8, 2024

Second Reading

Consideration of a Bill

Standing Committee on Social Policy

October 3, 2023

Second Reading

Ordered referred to Standing Committee

Standing Committee on Social Policy

October 3, 2023

Second Reading

Vote

Carried

October 3, 2023

Second Reading

Question put

October 3, 2023

Second Reading

Debated

October 3, 2023

Second Reading

Moved

June 5, 2023

First Reading

Ordered for Second Reading

October 3, 2023

Second Reading

Debated

June 5, 2023

First Reading

Vote

Carried

First Reading

June 5, 2023

Carried

Second Reading

October 3, 2023

Bouma, Will

Brantford—Brant

Fraser, John

Ottawa South

Gélinas, France

Nickel Belt

Kusendova-Bashta, Natalia

Mississauga Centre

McGregor, Graham

Brampton North

Quinn, Nolan

Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry

Smith, Laura

Thornhill

Vaugeois, Lise

Thunder Bay—Superior North

Carried

Ordered referred to Standing Committee

Standing Committee on Social Policy

October 8, 2024

Consideration of a Bill

Standing Committee on Social Policy

December 2, 2024

Consideration of a Bill

Standing Committee on Social Policy

December 3, 2024

Reported without amendment

Standing Committee on Social Policy

Report adopted

Ordered for Third Reading

December 11, 2024

Motion to arrange proceedings

Third Reading

December 11, 2024

Clancy, Aislinn

Kitchener Centre

Gélinas, France

Nickel Belt

Smith, Laura

Thornhill

Question put

Carried

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