VICTORIA — British Columbia's seniors advocate says the increasing unmet demand for home support services is likely to blame for a ballooning wait-list to get a bed in long-term care, with the problem worsened by population growth.
VICTORIA — British Columbia's seniors advocate says the increasing unmet demand for home support services is likely to blame for a ballooning wait-list to get a bed in long-term care, with the problem worsened by population growth.
Mackenzie's final report before she leaves her position this month was released Thursday. It says the rate of home support clients among seniors aged 75 or older has decreased seven per cent over the past five years, and the average hours of support per client has decreased four per cent."The oldest baby boomers are only turning 78 this year and you're really not seeing pressures until people get into their mid-80s.
In 2019, the B.C. government moved privately run home support services back under health authorities in Metro Vancouver and southern Vancouver Island, ending a previous system that relied on contracting. The advocate's report says the average wait time before admission to long-term care has increased 54 per cent from 2019, growing from 136 days to 209 days in 2023.
In her report, Mackenzie says subsidies for the one in five seniors who rent have fallen"dramatically short" of what they need to continue living in their own homes and meet their basic needs. "Even with these changes, the Province and BC Housing recognize that the SAFER rent ceilings have not kept up with market rents and with increased living costs many low-income seniors are struggling in the current rental market," it says.
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