Isobel Mackenzie leaves behind a legacy of advocacy that led to meaningful policy changes in seniors care
When B.C. first announced it was creating a new seniors advocate office 10 years ago, the big question was: How useful could that advocate be in critiquing government when they aren’t truly independent from government at all?
“They could have done any number of things if they’d wanted to constrain the office in any way. Never in 10 years have I felt political pressure. Never in 10 years I heard, ‘Don’t say that, don’t do that, don’t look there,’ from any government people.” Mackenzie’s work highlighting care hour shortages in long-term care homes, first-bed refusal policy problems, partners split up in assisted living, consent and admission concerns and the underperformance of private long-term care facilities using public funding have all led to government reforms. She created a useful and relevant database on care homes. And she’s still fighting for a hike to the Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters rates.
“I do take a more rational approach and some people would have preferred a more emotional approach,” she said. “Some people thought I focused on the numbers too much. “It’s always been there, percolating below the surface, and still is. But we saw the extreme consequence of that during COVID when for all the right reasons, to protect them, we just unilaterally stepped in and said you can’t go in and see your mother for a year, basically.
“There have been times when working with the BC Care Providers I’ve found some of the reports have been at odds with what our view of the world is, but that creates room for discussion,” said Lake.
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