Retirement Home Staff

Hiring for Retirement Homes Doesn’t Have to Be Hard

With 2023–2025 Ontario Data

Retirement homes and long-term care (LTC) homes across Ontario are operating in one of the most complex staffing environments in decades. Administrators face rising labour costs, chronic short-notice absences, shrinking local talent pools, and increasing compliance and administrative demands.

Ontario spending data and audit findings show that reliance on external staffing agencies—while often necessary—can significantly increase costs and disrupt continuity of care. This guide outlines what the current Ontario landscape looks like, how homes typically staff today, and where alternative models for flexible coverage are emerging.

Where Retirement Homes Struggle

  • Rising staffing costs
  • Unpredictable scheduling
  • Turnover and instability
  • Lack of transparency
  • Higher rural costs
  • Administrative burden

Retirement Home Hiring Pathways

Common hiring routes and their friction.

What the Ontario Data & Market Reality Show

Agency Pricing (Typical Ontario Ranges):

According to an Independent Retirement Home owner in Ontario with agency experience, when staffing agencies are used in Retirement Home and Long Term Care settings:

PSWs

Billed at: $55–$60/hour

Paid at: ~$30/hour

Money Icon
Agency Margin $25–$30/hr
~45%–50% Markup

RPNs

Billed at: $75–$80/hour

Paid at: $35–$40/hour

Money Icon
Agency Margin $35–$45/hr
~47%–56% Markup

RNs (LTC)

Billed at: $60–$100+/hour

Paid at: $40–$60+/hour

Money Icon
Agency Margin (Urgent) $40–$60+/hr
~40%–55%+ Markup

Built for Retirement Homes. Aligned with Ontario Law.

Ontario’s Retirement Homes Act, 2010 places the responsibility on operators to ensure every staff member working in the home is properly qualified, trained, and capable of delivering safe care—especially in areas like emergency response and infection prevention.

That’s where The Traveling Therapist makes a difference.

Every clinician on our platform meets Ontario’s qualification and training expectations, helping homes stay compliant without scrambling for last-minute agency coverage or risking gaps in care. While the Act doesn’t mandate exact staffing ratios (like one nurse per floor), it does require that the right people are in place when care is needed—and that’s exactly what flexible, pre-vetted coverage supports.

Instead of overpaying for agencies or stretching permanent staff thin, homes can access professionals who are:

  • check_circle Properly credentialed
  • check_circle Trained for retirement-home environments
  • check_circle Ready to step in when coverage matters most

The result: less risk, more control, and confidence that your staffing approach supports both resident safety and regulatory expectations—without the agency premium.

AGENCY / RECRUITER MODEL
payments
Typical recruitment fees
15%–30%
of first-year salary
savings
Temporary staffing markups
25%–40%
on hourly pay
INTERNAL / DIRECT HIRING
calendar_today
Job posting fees
$300–$800
schedule
Screening/ onboarding
~$4,800–$5,000
history
HR time investment

System-Level Impact

The Traveling Therapist is more efficient than an Agency - more flexible than a job board.

Watch us save your home money on its agency spend today

Save me money on agency fees

Common Hiring Pathways for Retirement Homes

Most retirement homes use a mix of approaches, depending on urgency, role type, and internal capacity.

What happens in practice

Agency Invoice Example
Homes may:
  • Run open bidding across multiple agencies
  • Work exclusively with one large agency
  • Use agencies as a “backup” while recruiting internally
Tradeoffs:
  • High and unpredictable costs
  • Limited continuity of care
  • Rotating staff unfamiliar with residents
  • Contracts or minimums that reduce flexibility
  • Little transparency into pay vs. markup

(Most often used for urgent or last-minute gaps, according to an Independent Retirement Home owner in Ontario with agency experience)

What happens in practice

Internal Hiring Example
check_circle Strengths
  • check_circle Familiarity with residents and workflows
  • check_circle Lower per-hour cost than agencies
report_problem Challenges
  • report_problem Time-intensive recruitment
  • report_problem Smaller local talent pools
  • report_problem Ongoing admin workload
  • report_problem Vulnerable to sick calls, burnout, and turnover

check_circle Strengths
  • check_circle Broader reach than manual recruiting
  • check_circle Faster than traditional posting cycles
report_problem Limitations
  • report_problem Not healthcare-specific
  • report_problem Limited credential validation
  • report_problem Not designed for RH/LTC shift coverage or short-term needs
  • report_problem Mixed quality and reliability

Where Homes Feel the Most Pressure

Across Ontario, operators consistently report stress from:

Workplace Pressure Illustration

Where The Traveling Therapist Fits In

The Traveling Therapist is not a staffing agency.

It’s a direct-connection platform designed to give retirement and long-term care homes another option for flexible coverage—without recruiter markups, bidding wars, or long-term contracts.

The Traveling Therapist allows homes to connect directly with vetted, licensed clinicians who want flexible or short-term work that can transition into a long term position if they are a good fit for the retirement home. This is all while maintaining clearer expectations and communication much better than an agency does.

Why Homes Use The Traveling Therapist

Designed for seniors’ care roles:
  • check_circle Registered Nurse (RN)
  • check_circle Registered Practical Nurse (RPN)
  • check_circle Personal Support Worker (PSW)
  • check_circle Dietary Aide
  • check_circle Other allied health professionals
Core Benefits:
  • check_circle Transparent pricing (no hidden agency margins)
  • check_circle Direct communication with clinicians after matching
  • check_circle No long-term commitments or exclusivity
Caregiver and Resident

As the Long Term Care and Retirement Home landscape evolves, models that prioritize consistency, reliability, and local clinician access are becoming increasingly important alongside cost control. By using The Traveling Therapist, retirement homes can secure dependable local coverage, reduce reliance on expensive agencies, and maintain continuity of care—without sacrificing flexibility.

Building Strong Care Teams

Join the platform today and take control of your home's staffing needs.

Sign Up Free Learn More