How to File a Complaint About Senior Care in Yukon

Something isn't right with your parent's care. Maybe the home support hours were cut without explanation. Maybe the facility staff isn't responding to calls. Maybe a placement decision feels wrong.

Yukon has a formal complaint process, and it's more straightforward than you might expect.

The Continuing Care Feedback Form

The primary channel for care complaints is the Continuing Care Feedback Form. You can submit feedback about any aspect of the continuing care system — home care, facility care, day programs, or the admissions process.

The form goes to the Manager of Quality, Risk, and Clinical Practice within the Continuing Care branch of Health and Social Services.

Response timelines: The Manager is departmentally mandated to follow up on faxed or emailed concerns within one to three working days for urgent matters.

How to Submit

You have three options:

1. Fax the completed feedback form to the Continuing Care office
2. Email the form or a written description of your concern
3. Phone the Continuing Care branch directly to discuss verbally

The form is available on the Yukon government's website (search "continuing care feedback" on yukon.ca) or request a copy from your parent's Care Coordinator.

What You Can Complain About

The feedback process covers:

• Quality of care (home support, nursing, facility staff)
• Changes to a care plan without adequate explanation
• Wait times for services or facility placement
• Staff behaviour or communication issues
• Safety concerns in a facility
• Disagreement with an assessment outcome
• Access to services being denied or delayed

Appealing a Care Decision

If your complaint is about a specific decision — like being told your parent doesn't qualify for a service, or being placed on a lower priority on the waitlist — you can request a formal review.

Start with the Care Coordinator and ask for a written explanation of the decision and the criteria used. If that doesn't resolve it, escalate to the Manager of Quality, Risk, and Clinical Practice.

There is no independent external appeals tribunal for continuing care decisions in Yukon the way there is in some larger provinces. The escalation path runs through the Health and Social Services department's internal processes.

When to Get Outside Help

If the internal process isn't producing results:

• Yukon Ombudsman: An independent office that investigates complaints about territorial government services, including Health and Social Services decisions
• Yukon Council on Aging: While they can't overrule government decisions, they can advocate on your family's behalf and connect you with relevant resources (867-668-3383)
• Elder law attorney: For situations involving rights violations, care refusals, or guardianship disputes, legal counsel may be necessary

Document Everything

Before filing any complaint, gather:

• Dates and times of the incidents or decisions you're concerned about
• Names of staff members involved (if known)
• Your parent's current care plan (request a copy if you don't have one)
• Any correspondence — emails, letters, notes from phone calls
• Your parent's YHCIP number and assigned Care Coordinator name

Written documentation carries more weight than verbal reports in the formal process.

The Yukon Elder Care Guide includes complaint templates and the step-by-step process for appealing care decisions, alongside the full care system walkthrough.

See more Yukon guides →