Appointments
A caregiver can go with your parent to a clinic or specialist visit, then pass on what was said to the nurse and to you.
Private home care · Ottawa
Health Advocacy at Home in Ottawa
When a parent's health gets complicated, our Ottawa team helps families stay on top of appointments, test results, hospital stays and public home care.
A nurse takes calls 24/7 from clients, relatives and the caregivers on duty.
Free in-home assessment. No obligation.
What Advocacy Means
A Nursing Team Watching Over Your Parent
An older mother or father may see a family doctor, several specialists and a pharmacist, and then land in hospital. Following every report and instruction can fall to a son, daughter or spouse.
Our advocacy service takes much of that work off the family. Every client starts with a home visit from a Registered Nurse (RN), who draws up the care plan and remains in charge of it. From there, we ask about pending test results, speak with physicians and give relatives early warning when something shifts.
Integracare was founded in 1991. Our Ottawa team works from an office on Preston Street. Kristine McGinn leads it, bringing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) and more than 25 years in health care.
Talk through your optionsWhat We Do
Everyday Advocacy From Our Ottawa Nurses
Each family picks which tasks go into the plan.
Pending results
When bloodwork or a scan is outstanding, we call the doctor's office about it and let relatives know once it is back.
Talking to physicians
The nurse brings changes seen at home, such as new confusion, a fall or a poor appetite, straight to the doctor.
Hospital discharge
When your parent comes out of hospital, our nurses read the discharge instructions and arrange the help required back home.
Public home care
We explain how to ask Ontario Health atHome, which arranges publicly funded home and community care, for an assessment.
Concerns and appeals
If a hospital stay or a public home care decision goes badly, we show you which office handles it and in what order.
Watching for Change
What the Nurse Notices Day to Day
Much of what a doctor needs to know shows up at home: appetite, sleep, balance and whether pills are being taken. Personal support workers (PSWs) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) make the visits under the RN's plan, and each one is matched to your parent.
When a fresh fall or a missed dose appears, the nurse hears about it early, calls the physician if needed and updates you.
Questions also come up at night and on weekends, and a nurse is available around the clock for your parent, relatives and the caregiver.
Leaving Hospital
Before Your Parent Is Discharged
Settle these 4 points while your parent is still on the ward.
Request public home care
In the Champlain area, which includes Ottawa, families ask Ontario Health atHome for publicly funded home care. Its phone numbers are in the local resources below.
Learn who decides
An Ontario Health atHome care coordinator sets which services your parent can receive, based on assessed needs and what your community offers. Integracare visits can be added around them.
Ask about therapy at home
Ask the ward team which therapy visits are planned after discharge, so our nurse can fit PSW exercise sessions around them.
Send us the paperwork
Share the discharge summary with our nurses. They go through the instructions and book the visits your parent will need, from meals to medication reminders.
Hospital Concerns
Raising a Problem During a Hospital Stay
Under Ontario's Excellent Care for All Act, 2010, every hospital in the province must have a patient relations process. The Ottawa Hospital asks families to speak with the care team first, and its own page says raising a concern will not affect the care provided.
Patient Relations at The Ottawa Hospital takes non-urgent concerns. The office is closed evenings, weekends and holidays, when you can ask for the clinical administrator on site.
Ontario's Patient Ombudsman asks you to try the organization's own process first, through patient relations or the administrator. Complaints about a doctor's office or a walk-in clinic go to the regulatory college for that profession.
Appeals
If Ontario Health atHome Turns Down a Request
Families can appeal a finding that someone does not qualify, the amount of help in a care plan, a cut to services and a ruling on long-term care eligibility. Ontario Health atHome must answer a complaint within 60 days, or within 10 days if it alleges abuse or neglect.
The care coordinator
Start with the person who made the decision.
The patient services manager
If the answer stands, raise it with this manager.
A formal review
Next, ask Ontario Health atHome to look at the decision again through its formal process.
The appeal board
The last step is the Health Services Appeal and Review Board (HSARB).
Staying Informed
Updates for Relatives Near and Far
The Family Room is Integracare's web portal. People you invite can check the visit schedule and read caregiver notes as each one is recorded, whether they live across the street or in another province.
In Ottawa, nursing supervision and care management are available in French or English, so your parent can describe symptoms in whichever language comes more easily.
Keep one notebook with the medication list and each specialist's name, and bring it to every appointment.
Start With a Free Nursing Assessment
Tell us about the appointment, hospital stay or public home care decision on your mind, and we will explain how our Ottawa team can help.
Local Resources
Other Health Advocacy Help in Ottawa
Other organizations run these programs. Each sets its own rules, and Integracare is separate from all of them.
Scroll the table sideways to compare care options.
| Office | What it handles | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario Health atHome, Champlain area | Publicly funded home care for people who qualify. A care coordinator sets the services after an assessment, and Integracare visits can be added around them. | 1-800-538-0520 (toll-free) or 613-745-5525 |
| Patient Relations, The Ottawa Hospital | Non-urgent concerns about hospital care, once the care team has heard them | 613-798-5555 ext. 13377 |
| Health Services Appeal and Review Board (HSARB) | Appeals of Ontario Health atHome decisions, such as being found ineligible for a home care service | 416-327-8512 or 1-866-282-2179 |
| Patient Ombudsman | Complaints about public hospitals, long-term care homes, home care, and community surgical and diagnostic centres | 1-888-321-0339 (toll-free) |
| Ontario Caregiver Helpline | Free phone support for family caregivers, answered 24/7. Staff point callers to local support groups and programs for the person receiving care. It is not a crisis line. | 1-833-416-2273 |
Questions & Answers
Health Advocacy in Ottawa: What Families Ask
What does health advocacy from Integracare include?
Our nurses follow your parent's health between doctor visits, chase pending results, speak with physicians and tell the family early about changes. A caregiver can go along to appointments, and the team plans support after a hospital discharge.
Can a family member make a referral to Ontario Health atHome?
Yes. Anyone can refer, including the patient, a relative, a friend or a physician. In Ottawa and the rest of the Champlain area, call 1-800-538-0520 or 613-745-5525.
Can we reach a nurse outside office hours?
Yes. Clients, relatives and the caregiver in the home can call a nurse 24/7, including evenings, weekends and holidays.
Can we appeal a cut to public home care?
Yes. Decisions on eligibility, the amount of help and services that are reduced or stopped can all be appealed. Begin with the care coordinator. The final step is the Health Services Appeal and Review Board.
How do we get started in Ottawa?
Call (613) 212-7567 or fill in the assessment form. A Registered Nurse visits your parent at home, puts the care plan together with you and explains how advocacy fits with the support our PSWs and RPNs provide.
Other Services
More Care in Ottawa
Home Care in Ottawa
Nursing Care in Ottawa
Personal Support Workers in Ottawa
Dementia Care in Ottawa
Palliative Care in Ottawa
24-Hour Home Care in Ottawa
We also provide health advocacy in Greater Toronto and health advocacy in Winnipeg.
Free In-Home Assessment
Contact Integracare Ottawa About Health Advocacy
Tell us what you need. A nurse will contact you within one business day.
343 Preston Street, Suite 1104, Ottawa, ON K1S 1N4
Prefer to talk?
Ottawa(613) 212-7567 ↗We serve families across the Ottawa region. See the areas we cover
Clinically reviewed by Bethel McMaster, BScN, RN ·