Helena Jaczek says 'we have to do better' in care for developmentally disabled adults

Ontario Social Services Minister Helena Jaczek says she's working to improve services for adults with disabilities and has already made some of the changes called for in a scathing ombudsman's report that says too many vulnerable people are falling through gaps in care.

​"We have to do better, there is no question," Jaczek said Thursday in an interview on Metro Morning.

Her comments come one day after Ombudsman Paul Dubé released a report that pointed to massive gaps in care for adults with developmental disabilities.

His report — the culmination of an investigation spanning more than three years — found that many developmentally disabled adults are living in homeless shelters, hospitals even jails without proper care. It called for a complete overhaul of the system that cares for developmentally disabled adults.

The report also tells of exasperated family members forced to deal with a complex system and a labyrinth of different support agencies.

Titled Nowhere to Turn, the report is based on 1,400 complaints from families of adults with developmental disabilities dealing with dire circumstances, including domestic abuse and abandonment.

Dubé acknowledged the province has taken some steps to address the gaps brought to light in the report, including accepting and implementing all 60 of his recommendations and promising to give a progress report every six months.

These include regular data collection on abuse by caregivers and the use of community shelters, an expanded definition of urgent circumstances requiring intervention from service agencies, and a directive that adults with developmental disabilities should not be left in hospitals where there is no medical need.

Province spending more than $2 billion a year

Jaczek said the province is now spending more than $2 billion a year to help developmentally disabled adults and the families who care for them.

The ombudsman's report pointed to a "hands-off" attitude by ministry staff approached by families seeking help. Jaczek said that approach is being phased out and replaced with a new commitment to help with individual cases.

"In the last two years, we've taken on that responsibility," she told host Matt Galloway. She said the ministry has worked to address what she sees as the most glaring problem: a lack of safe living spaces for developmentally disabled adults.

"We need to find places for them to live safely," she said.