Belmont House

19th Century Elderly Care

The move towards long-term care at institutions like Belmont House reflects changing attitudes towards the elderly that began in the late 19th century. Previously, houses of refuge in the province did not separately categorise adults over 60 from the rest of the adult population. Although affluent families could afford home care for their elderly relatives, those without access to significant financial resources often ended up in welfare institutions. Moreover, individuals with dementia often were placed in asylums. 

In the 1870s, the Ontario government began to categorise those living at houses of industry as either able bodied (someone who has the ability to do household tasks like chopping wood or sewing) or non-abled bodied (those who could not do such tasks). Those who were able to work often received preference to live and work at these institutions.

However, houses of industry also created wings specifically for non-able bodied individuals, many of whom were elderly. By the 1890s, the population of elderly people in these institutions was so high that the provincial inspector started referring to some of them as “old people homes.”

Belmont House

Towards Modern Elderly Care

In 1919, the Association of Managers of the Homes for Aged and Infirm was created. This association aimed to provide better care for elderly residents of charitable institutions.  The Association, now known as AdvantAge Ontario, continues to help advocate for better elderly care and supports Ontario’s non-profit elderly care facilities.  

Substantial legislative change for the treatment of the elderly in Ontario started with the creation of the Homes for the Aged Act in 1947. With the passing of the act, all houses of refuge were converted to elderly care institutions. Two years later, the government created the Homes for the Aged and Rest Homes Act, which made it mandatory for all Ontario municipalities to provide a home for anyone over the age of 60 who could not support themselves.

Belmont House

Cultural-Specific Care

In 1950, Hungarian brothers, Drs. Paul and John Rekai emigrated to Toronto and opened a hospital on Sherbourne Street. The hospital, known as the Central Hospital, served part of Toronto’s growing immigrant community.  One of the fundamental beliefs of the hospital was that culture played an important role in the quality of patient care. The hospital employed multilingual staff, provided ethnically-specific food, and took a person’s cultural beliefs into consideration when creating health plans. In 1988 the hospital added a long-term care facility, which became Canada’s first multi-lingual non-profit home in Canada. 

From the 1950s to the 1970s, other homes opened that focused on cultural, or religious-specific care. Today, there are over 50 nursing homes that are considered “culturally sensitive” in Toronto. This includes the Rekai Centre. In 2022, the Rekai Centre opened its Rainbow Wing in Wellesley Central Place. This became one of the first 2SLGBTQ+ wings in a nursing home in North America. 

Belmont House

Additional Resources

Association of Municipalities of Ontario. “Coming of Age: The Municipal Role in Caring for Ontario’s Seniors. An AMO Paper on Long Term Care and Senior Services”. 2011.

Belmont House website: Our History.

DesRoches, Cheryl, “Everyone in Their Place: The Formation of Institutional Care for the Elderly in Nineteenth-Century Ontario”, Journal of the Canadian Historical Association, 2004 (15): 1, pages 49-70.

Emodi, Barbara, “A History of Long-term Care facilities for the elderly in Canada”, CMHC Nursing Home and Hostels Guideline Study, 1977.

Rekai Centres website, The History of the Rekai Centres.