
The Difference Between a Retirement Home and a Long Term Care Home
There are a lot of differences between a retirement home and a long term care home. Even though they are both places where seniors can live, the cost, services, and moving in process are very different.
Here is a clear understanding of what these residences are and how they are different.


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Retirement home services can include:
- Full-service dining
- Housekeeping
- Laundry
- Recreation programs
- Modern amenities (fitness centre, hair salon, library etc.)
- Parking and/or transportation for outings/outings transportation
- Care services (falls prevention, wellness programs, and access to nursing services)
Long term care services are heavily centred around care. These types of services can include:
- Medication administration
- Meals service and special diets
- 24 Hour Nursing Care
- 24 Hour Staff
- Injury Reduction
- Falls Management
- Emergency Call System
- Physiotherapy
- Assistance with essential activities of daily living
- Social, recreational and spiritual programs
Choosing a Long Term Care Home
In order to move into a nursing home or long term care home, there are some requirements such as a referral from a physician or agency. Once a referral is completed, the agency will provide some choices based on the level of care needed, and will notify you when a spot becomes available. If you’re deciding which long term care home might be right for your loved one, or if you have questions around long term care, you can always call or arrange a visit at one of our Revera long term care homes across Canada. No one with a referral to a long term care home can be turned away, although you should be aware than sometimes the wait list can be extensive.
Retirement Home & Long Term Care Home FAQs

Faces of Revera
Wendy Gilmour’s experience in leading private and public sector organizations has given her deep insights into the health care system, and fostered her passion for person-centred care. Her previous roles include Senior Vice President of Operations at CML Healthcare, and Vice President of Clinical Support Services at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Ms. Gilmour, who holds an MBA from the University of Alberta, suggests that in her area conventional measures aren’t enough. “You can’t measure compassion,” she says. In leading Revera’s Long Term Care team, Ms. Gilmour focuses on providing a happy, safe and supportive environment for some 10,000 residents and staff across the country.
Dr. Collins is a family physician with a certificate of added competence in Care of the Elderly from the College of Family Physicians of Canada. She has been lead physician for the Outpatient Primary Care Memory Clinic at Shaver Hotel Dieu Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. Catharines, and Medical Director and attending physician for several long term care homes in the Niagara Region. She regularly consults on neuropsychiatric behaviours of dementia for the Niagara Seniors Mental Health Outreach program. She is Associate Clinical Professor with the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University School of Medicine where she developed and leads a Care of the Elderly rotation for family medicine residents.
Have questions?
We hope this information has answered some of your questions and given some clarity on retirement living. If you need more assistance or have more questions, feel free to contact us.