How to Arrange Elder Care in Yukon

Your parent had a fall last week. Or maybe you noticed the fridge is empty again. Something shifted, and now you need to figure out how elder care works in a territory with 44,000 people and one main hospital.

The good news: Yukon runs a single-entry continuing care system through the Department of Health and Social Services. One phone call starts the process for everything — home support, day programs, and facility placement.

Start With the Continuing Care Intake Line

No doctor's referral is needed. You, your parent, or any care provider can call the regional Home Care office directly:

• Whitehorse (also covers Carcross, Carmacks, Faro, Mayo, Old Crow, Pelly Crossing, Ross River, and Teslin): 867-667-5774
• Dawson City: 867-993-5029
• Haines Junction (also covers Champagne, Burwash Landing, Destruction Bay, and Beaver Creek): 867-634-7510
• Watson Lake: 867-536-5256

Intake staff will run a preliminary screening over the phone to confirm your parent's eligibility under the Yukon Health Care Insurance Plan (YHCIP).

What Happens After the Call

A clinical Care Coordinator schedules an in-person assessment at your parent's home. They evaluate activities of daily living — bathing, dressing, eating — along with cognitive function and home safety hazards like stairs or narrow doorways.

Based on the assessment, the coordinator builds a personalized care plan. If your parent can safely stay home with support, the plan activates publicly funded Home Care services: nursing visits, personal care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and home support workers.

If the assessment shows your parent needs 24-hour monitoring, the coordinator initiates a referral for long-term care facility placement.

The Four Public Facilities in Yukon

Yukon's continuing care facilities are concentrated in Whitehorse, which creates a hard reality for rural families:

• Whistle Bend Place — the territory's largest and newest facility, with secure dementia houses, complex care units, and specialized programming
• Copper Ridge Place — extended and complex care with two dedicated secure dementia houses
• Thomson Centre — extensive complex care beds in downtown Whitehorse
• Alexander McDonald Lodge (Dawson City) — the only rural facility, providing light-to-moderate residential care

For families outside Whitehorse, this often means relocating a parent to the capital for high-level care.

Key Costs to Know

Public home care is fully subsidized under YHCIP — no hourly fees for eligible residents. Facility care is different:

• Eligible residents: $1,217/month room and board (or $40/day for stays under a month)
• Non-eligible residents: $509/day until the 12-month residency requirement is met

That residency requirement catches families off guard. Your parent needs a valid YHCIP card and 12 consecutive months of Yukon residency (or 10 cumulative years) to qualify for the subsidized rate. Moving a parent to Yukon during a crisis means paying the full unsubsidized rate — roughly $15,800/month — until residency is established.

Gather These Documents Before the Assessment

Preparing a document dossier prevents delays:

• Active YHCIP card
• Complete medication list with dosages and pharmacy contacts
• Documentation of diagnoses and cognitive evaluations
• Summary of functional limitations (fall history, mobility needs, bathing difficulties)
• Most recent federal income tax Notice of Assessment
• Enduring Power of Attorney and Care Consent Act Advance Directive (if completed)
• Emergency contact list with designated proxies

What to Do Right Now

If you're reading this because something just happened, call the Whitehorse intake line at 867-667-5774. Self-referrals are accepted, no waiting for a doctor.

While you wait for the assessment, get the legal documents in order — especially the Enduring Power of Attorney for financial matters and an Advance Directive for healthcare decisions. Both must be completed while your parent still has cognitive capacity to sign.

For a complete walkthrough of every step — from the initial call through facility placement, legal planning, financial benefits, and filing complaints — the Yukon Elder Care Guide covers the entire continuing care system in one place.

See more Yukon guides →