LONDON, ON — March 26, 2026 — As Canada’s New Brunswick province commits $4 million to expand its Nursing Home Without Walls program — and nursing home waitlists swell to nearly 1,000 patients — the conversation around aging in place has shifted from preference to urgent necessity. SonderCare, a premium home hospital bed manufacturer with over 25 years of healthcare expertise, says the policy momentum is meaningful, but its impact depends entirely on whether the right equipment is available inside the home.
The Growing Push to Age in Place — and Its Limits
New Brunswick’s $4 million investment in the Nursing Home Without Walls initiative, reported by CBC, marks a significant policy pivot toward community-based care. The program, which began with four pilot locations, has now expanded to 31 nursing homes across the province, with six additional provinces planning to pilot similar models by 2028. The intent is straightforward: ease pressure on an overburdened long-term care system while honoring what most older adults actually want.
The numbers make the case clearly. According to AARP research, approximately 75% of older adults express a strong desire to remain in their own homes as they age. Yet demand for institutional care continues to outpace supply. There are now roughly 63,000 fewer nursing home beds available across North America than existed in 2020, driven by facility closures and labor shortages that have forced 20% of nursing homes to downsize, according to Definitive Healthcare data. In New Brunswick alone, roughly 40% of acute-care hospital beds are occupied by individuals waiting for a long-term care placement — a bottleneck that puts pressure on the entire healthcare system.
The “access” challenge named in the CBC report goes beyond waitlists. Even when seniors choose to remain home, they often face a home that was never designed for care. Only an estimated 10% of U.S. homes meet basic aging-readiness criteria — a step-free entryway, first-floor sleeping and bathing options, and at least one bathroom accessibility feature — according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Without the right adaptive equipment, the aspiration to age in place can quickly become a safety risk.
SonderCare: Bridging the Gap Between Intent and Infrastructure
SonderCare views recent policy investments in aging-in-place infrastructure as a welcome but incomplete step. Government programs can fund community supports and social care, but the physical environment inside the home — specifically the bed where a person spends six to eight hours a day — plays a defining role in whether aging in place is safe and sustainable.
“When we see governments putting real money into keeping seniors at home, that’s progress worth celebrating,” said Ben Martin, President of SonderCare. “But the hard truth is that most home care arrangements break down not because of a lack of will, but because the equipment inside the home isn’t built for the demands of serious care. A consumer mattress and a standard bed frame were never designed for someone managing chronic illness, limited mobility, or fall risk.”
SonderCare’s Aura line of home hospital beds was designed specifically to close that gap. The Aura Premium Hospital Bed, starting at $6,999, features FallSafe ultra-low height technology that lowers the sleeping platform to just 10 inches — the same 17-inch mattress height used in acute-care hospital settings for fall prevention. The bed’s full positioning suite includes Trendelenburg tilt, Zero Gravity, Cardiac Chair, and Comfort Chair configurations, enabling caregivers and care recipients to manage respiratory conditions, circulation needs, and repositioning without specialized nursing staff.
Key features of the Aura Premium include:
- FallSafe Ultra-Low Height — 10″ platform (17″ to mattress top) for fall risk reduction
- Full Positioning Suite — Trendelenburg, Reverse Trendelenburg, Zero Gravity, Cardiac Chair, Comfort Chair
- Hi-Lo Adjustment — 10″ to 39″ frame height range for safe caregiver transfers
- 500 lbs weight capacity — certified to International Hospital Standard
- Furniture-grade residential design — upholstered panels that preserve the look and feel of home
For couples navigating different care needs, SonderCare’s Aura Companion Bed ($12,999) offers a split-king configuration that allows each side to operate independently — adjusting head and knee positions separately — while the overall bed frame moves as a single unit. It is the only hospital-grade couples’ bed available for residential use, a distinction that matters for the spousal caregiving situations that aging-in-place policy increasingly depends on.
“The goal of aging in place isn’t just to keep people out of nursing homes — it’s to keep them living with dignity, comfort, and independence,” Martin added. “That only works when the equipment in the home is genuinely up to the task.”
Meeting the Moment — Equipment as Essential Infrastructure
As Medicare broadens home health coverage and provinces across Canada invest in community care infrastructure, SonderCare believes the home care equipment category deserves the same attention as nursing, personal care, and social support services. The company offers white-glove delivery and installation — including full setup and a feature walkthrough — with rush options available within one to three business days for families navigating urgent care transitions.
Families exploring aging-in-place options can learn more at www.sondercare.com or review the full range of home hospital beds at www.sondercare.com/beds/.
About SonderCare
SonderCare is a premium home hospital bed manufacturer dedicated to enhancing safety, comfort, and dignity for individuals aging in place or requiring home care. With over 25 years of healthcare expertise, SonderCare’s FDA-registered, hospital-grade beds combine medical functionality with furniture-grade residential design. The company’s product line includes the Aura Premium, Aura Platinum, and Aura Companion beds, featuring FallSafe ultra-low height technology, full positioning suites, and white-glove delivery service. For more information, visit www.sondercare.com.
Media Contact
Ben Martin
President, SonderCare
info@sondercare.com
www.sondercare.com
