The Ontario government’s solution for healthcare at long-term care homes is raising some concerns locally.

There is worry that the legislation introduced to allow patients awaiting a bed to be transferred to a temporary home could isolate seniors from friends and family.

Jim McLeod has been married to his wife for nearly 64 years, but for the past four, they’ve been living apart, and not by choice.

"I’ve been trying to have her transferred to my LTC unit which is attached to my building for the past four and half years,” said McLeod.

McLeod lives at Fairview Mennonite Home in Cambridge and is attempting to have his wife transferred from Hilltop Manor.

Now, he's calling out the provincial government for giving seniors false hope.

The provincial legislation means seniors could be transferred outside their community while they wait for an open spot in their preferred home.

"When I heard that, I thought ‘boy, what's going on?,”’ said McLeod

This is part of the province's new plan to help stabilize the healthcare system that has been facing staffing and capacity issues.

The province said the new policy can free up as many as 250 hospital beds in the first six months.

Dr. George Heckman, a geriatrician, is concerned about the impact this could have on seniors.

“We’ve worried throughout COVID about isolation because of pandemic measures, but this is going to isolate people the exact same way from their families,” he said.

Heckman works at a Waterloo retirement home and he says moving seniors from place to place can cause delirium, making matters worse for patients.

“All of this is not conducive. It’s not person-centric at all and potentially more harmful than it’s going to help anyone,” said Dr. Heckman

Bill Vangorder with the Canadian Association of Retired Persons said the move could see seniors split up from their loved ones.

“We’re forcing it on people who are already stressed, who are already concerned and have problems with their own health. It’s going to make life worse for seniors in Ontario,” said Vangorder.

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Long-Term Care said there will be mandatory guidelines that “would consider a person’s preferred location, including where that is near a partner or spouse, loved one or friends.”

The province added that patients will not be forced to leave the hospital against their will.

Vangorder said the move is not a solution to the issues they’re facing in long-term care.

“Put some limits on it so that temporarily it can alleviate some of the problems, don’t consider it as a solution,” he said.