NDP Health Critic France Gélinas is urging immediate action to address growing waiting times for in-home attendant services for people with severe physical disabilities.

A new report from the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) indicates more than 1,400 people in Ontario with spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and other serious disabilities have been left waiting for basic care for as long as 10 years.

“For no good reason, these Ontarians are being deprived of the in-home supports they need and many are being placed in hospitals and institutions that are not equipped to properly support their daily needs. They deserve to be treated with dignity and that means being allowed to live at home and in their communities with proper supports,” said Gélinas.

The NDP supports the OCSA’s call for the McGuinty government to commit new money to address the 23 per cent drop in funding over the past 10 years for these services.

“Immediate government action is not only imperative to ensure the dignity of people living with severe disabilities – it makes financial sense too,” stressed Gélinas. “Why pay $1,200-a-day from our already strapped health care system for institutional care when $200-a-day can provide someone with a better quality of life in their own home?”