Planning for long-term care: A qualitative study of the past, present and future of long-term care in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington area

This thesis explores the planning issues related to population aging and care options for elderly people in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFLA). Specifically, it analyzes planning issues related to long term care (LTC) facilities and how those issues produce a frame in which to consider the needs of the area for planning resources.;Using planning documents, mapping of LTC facilities and interviews with key informants, the major finding of the thesis is that planning and LTC are inappropriately disconnected from each other at the point of decision making. The result is uncertainty about the role of planning and the role for other partners in the community. The reality is that planning for the future will not take place in an effective way until these connections among the various responsible partners are made. Forging and maintaining these connections will offer decision makers better information to meet the specific needs of the population, making plans for today and tomorrow more appropriate.;These findings contribute to the more general argument that municipal and health planners will increasingly be feeling the pressure placed on the built environment by the aging population. Planners mandate is public health and an important element of that is ensuring that the places we plan work for the people in them. Location, transportation, local population needs and municipal context offer more opportunity to connect demand with appropriate care options and locations.;LTC bed shortages in KFLA are increasingly evident in the news. Demand for these beds will only increase in the future as the baby boomers age. The past, present and future of these facilities is examined through interviews with individuals who are intimately aware of the changes over time and the path for LTC into the future. The purpose of the thesis is to determine the role for planning in meeting demand today and in the future.