Long term care
Apply for Long Term Care
NWT residents can apply for long term care by contacting their local Home Care program or Community Health Centre. Professional staff (nurses or social worker) at the Health and Social Services Authority will help clients with completing the application.
NWT residents with a valid NWT Health Care Card, and with assessed care needs beyond what can safely and adequately be provided in the home or community setting, are eligible for Long Term Care placement.
Long Term Care is a home-like facility that provides care and services for people who are no longer are able to live independently and who require onsite nursing care, 24-hour supervision, and personal care. Long Term Care facilities are government-funded.
Long Term Care in the NWT is provided by the Regional Health and Social Services Authorities. There are nine Long Term Care Facilities in the NWT:
- Behchokò: Jimmy Erasmus Senior’s Home
- Fort Simpson: Elder Care Home
- Fort Smith: Northern Lights Special Care Home
- Hay River: Woodland Manor
- Inuvik: Inuvik Regional Hospital Long Term Care Unit
- Norman Wells: Sahtú Dene Nechá Kǫ́ Long Term Care Facility
- Yellowknife: Aven Manor
- Yellowknife: Aven Cottages (Territorial Dementia Facility)
- Yellowknife: Łıwegǫ̀atı Long Term Care
- Yellowknife: Łıwegǫ̀atı Extended Care Unit
The Long Term Care application includes a comprehensive nursing, medical and functional assessment of the person’s care needs to determine eligibility. Once completed, the application is submitted to the Territorial Admissions Committee for review.
Once the applicant is found eligible for admission, his or her name is placed on a Territorial Wait List for a Long Term Care bed. When a bed becomes available, it is offered to the person on the waitlist with the highest need for care.
The GNWT Department of Health and Social Services Long Term Care room and board rates are currently set at $1,021.00 per month, effective May 1, 2026. Residents may be charged additional fees by the facility to cover costs of continence products, social activities, hairdressing, massage, or medications not covered by their supplementary health benefit program.
If an applicant is unable to afford the monthly cost of Long Term Care, the applicant or their family may apply to their local ECE Service Center to have a Client Services Officer complete an assessment of their eligibility for income assistance to help with the room and board fee payment. For information on income security, please visit: Income Support.