Movement
The PSW stays close while the person gets out of a chair or bed, crosses a room or steps into the shower, and helps with bathing and dressing as the plan directs.
Private home care · Toronto & Mississauga
Parkinson's Care at Home in Toronto and Mississauga
Personal support workers come to the house to help with dose times, safe movement, meals and sleep. A Registered Nurse sets the plan.
Families can phone for nursing advice around the clock, every day of the week.
Free in-home assessment. No obligation.
Living with Parkinson's
A Condition That Changes Over Time
University Health Network (UHN), which includes Toronto Western Hospital, describes Parkinson's as neurodegenerative: nerve cells in the brain and nervous system are lost over time. UHN calls it the fastest-growing neurological disorder, affecting 2% to 3% of people over 65. Parkinson Canada says more than 120,000 people in this country live with it.
The help a household needs tends to grow over the years. Integracare sends personal support workers (PSWs) to homes in Toronto and Mississauga. Care starts with an assessment by a Registered Nurse (RN), who then writes and oversees the care plan. Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) handle any visits that need nursing skills.
Talk through your optionsHands-on help
Support Across Each Part of Daily Life
UHN lists the areas Parkinson's can affect: movement, thinking, emotion, sleep and the autonomic system, which runs automatic functions such as blood pressure, bladder and bowel. The RN shapes the plan around whichever of these give the person trouble now.
Thinking
A steady routine, written lists and prompts make planning the day easier. If memory or judgment slips, the RN can build parts of our dementia care into the plan.
Mood
The PSW offers conversation, hobbies and short outings. Signs of low spirits, worry or withdrawal go to the nurse so the plan can respond.
Sleep
An evening visit can cover the bedtime routine. When nights turn difficult, 24-hour care keeps someone awake until morning. Live-in care, with a caregiver who sleeps in the home, suits nights that are mostly calm.
Blood pressure, bladder and bowel
Drinks are offered through the day, and the PSW helps with trips to the toilet and continence care. The nurse hears about any dizziness or change in bathroom habits. The PSW stays close on the way to the bathroom and at night, and any fall, even one with no injury, goes to our nurses the same day so the RN can review the plan.
Eating and speaking
Meals follow the plan, and the person eats at their own pace. Coughing, throat-clearing or a wet-sounding voice at meals is reported to the nurse, and a change in speech goes into the visit notes. The nurse then reviews food textures, how the person sits to eat, and whether a swallowing assessment is needed.
Medication
Reminders at the Right Times
The RN copies the dosing schedule into the care plan, and during visits the PSW prompts the person at each set hour. If a pill is skipped or a new prescription arrives, the PSW tells the nurse, who updates the plan.
Side effects and changes to the amount are questions for the doctor or a pharmacist.
Staying active
Exercise for Steadier Movement
Integracare can arrange physiotherapy at home. A registered physiotherapist assesses the person, writes a treatment plan and works on mobility, strength, balance and flexibility. Between sessions, the PSW can help the person through the exercises from that plan.
How care is run
From the First Visit to Each Review
Integracare was founded in 1991. Each client's care follows a plan that an RN writes and oversees.
A home assessment
Before care begins, an RN comes to the house to learn the person's routine, dose times, hardest hours of the day and what relatives can cover.
A matched team
PSWs, plus RPNs where nursing is needed, are matched to the person and follow the RN's plan.
Updates as needs shift
A hospital stay, a fall or a change in medication leads the RN to look at the plan again and adjust the visits.
Support day and night
Families and caregivers can phone a nurse at any hour about a missed dose, new symptoms or a rough evening.
The Family Room
Relatives with an invitation can log in to this online portal to check visit schedules and read each caregiver note once it is recorded.
Adapting the house
Making Rooms Easier to Get Around
The RN notes in the plan where the person needs a hand most, such as the bathroom, the stairs or getting into and out of bed. Integracare's related services include assistive devices, medical aids and help with home accessibility.
Time away
Breaks for the Family Caregiver
Daily care often falls to a spouse, partner or adult child. Booked PSW visits give that relative regular hours off: a weekly afternoon, a night of unbroken sleep or cover while they travel. Our respite care covers these breaks.
Book a Free Home Assessment
Tell us about the dose times, the hard hours and who helps now. An RN will explain what care could include.
Local Resources
Other Parkinson's Help in Toronto and Mississauga
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.
| Organization | What families get | Phone or website |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto Western Hospital, UHN | Home to the Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease and the Morton & Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Clinic. The clinic handles more than 9,000 visits a year and includes a Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Clinic. | uhn.ca |
| Credit Valley Hospital, Trillium Health Partners | Neurologists who specialize in Parkinson's and other movement disorders, for people in Mississauga. A family doctor's referral is needed. | thp.ca |
| Ontario Health atHome | 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. | 1-833-515-1234 |
| Parkinson Canada | A national charity for people with Parkinson's, with 120 community support groups across Canada and a toll-free phone line. Its Mississauga support group is free and meets in person and online. | 1-888-664-1974, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. |
| 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 |
Frequently asked
Parkinson's Care in Toronto, Explained
How do we start Parkinson's care with Integracare?
Phone 416.421.4243 or send the form on this page. Next, an RN comes to the home for a free assessment and writes the plan with you before any care begins.
Can Ontario Health atHome and private care work together?
Yes. If the person qualifies, Ontario covers home care. Integracare's private PSW visits then fill the hours the public plan leaves open.
What help is there for swallowing or speech problems?
PSWs prepare food and drinks as the plan describes and tell the nurse about coughing or trouble swallowing. Assessment and therapy come from a speech-language pathologist, and Ontario Health atHome offers one to people with Parkinson's who qualify.
How does Integracare work with the person's doctors?
Our care coordinator follows up on test results, speaks with physicians and raises changes early. Treatment decisions, including any change to medicine, remain with the person's own doctors.
What does Parkinson's care cost?
It depends on the hours each week and on whether visits, live-in or 24-hour care fits best. We go over rates during the free assessment.
Other Services
More Care in Toronto and Mississauga
Home Care Services in Toronto
Dementia Care in Toronto
Physiotherapy in Toronto
Personal Support Workers in Toronto
Live-in Care in Toronto
24-Hour Home Care in Toronto
Palliative Care in Toronto
We also provide Parkinson's care in Ottawa and Parkinson's care in Winnipeg.
Free In-Home Assessment
Start Parkinson's Care at Home
Tell us what you need. A nurse will contact you within one business day.
Serving Toronto and Mississauga, with care delivered at home.
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Toronto(416) 421-4243 ↗Mississauga(905) 916-5454 ↗Clinically reviewed by Bethel McMaster, BScN, RN ·