Fairview Lodge dementia care services will receive a $270,818 provincial investment for staff training and changes to the Whitby long-term care home’s environment.
The home is joining Ontario’s Improving Dementia Care program, which supports emotion-based models of care. The approach is intended to improve residents’ quality of life by putting their needs and relationships with staff and families at the centre of daily care.
Funding supports training and environmental changes
The Fairview Lodge funding is intended to help staff provide more personalized care while helping residents living with dementia feel safe, supported and connected.
Whitby MPP Lorne Coe said the investment will give staff training and supports for compassionate care. Specific building changes, training dates and a local implementation schedule were not detailed in the available announcement.
Fairview Lodge is operated by Durham Region. The long-term care home is located on Taunton Road East in Whitby and provides nursing, personal support, recreation and other services to residents.
Program expands to 13 more homes
The Whitby allocation is part of a $3 million expansion to 13 additional long-term care homes. Ontario says the new group will connect as many as 1,300 more residents living with dementia to specialized supports.
A pilot began in September 2025. With the new expansion, 30 homes are expected to participate, and the province says it plans to reach 50 homes by 2027-28.
The homes added in the second year were selected from applications submitted during the first year. Assessment criteria included demonstrated need, readiness to implement the model and capacity to operate it.
Dementia affects most long-term care residents
More than 60 per cent of Ontario long-term care residents have a dementia diagnosis, according to the provincial information cited in the announcement.
The Fairview Lodge dementia care investment is separate from broader provincial plans to build new and upgraded long-term care beds. Residents and families should receive direct information from Fairview Lodge about any program changes affecting care routines.
