On Tuesday, the BC Green Party released the plank of its election platform relating to seniors care. We were pleased to read that the BC Greens have made several direct references to the work of BC Care Providers Association in assembling its plan for seniors should it form the next provincial government. They even promise to collaborate with BCCPA in the implementation of their plan. Details of the BC Green plan are described as follows:
Supporting Seniors and Providing End-of-Life
As the number of seniors in BC rises, so the pressures on the health care and long-term care systems increase. In BC, seniors are generally healthy and independent as they age. According to the 2nd Annual Report of the Office of the Senior’s Advocate, only 10% of seniors (88,900) are frail and require residential care, palliative care, or supports for daily living. However, while those with age-related, health concerns account for less than 2% of the provincial population, they consume 35% of all services.
A B.C. Green Government will invest $35 million over four years in home care to enable seniors and other people who need assistance to stay in their own homes.
A B.C. Green government will invest $40 million in new long term care facilities to increase the availability of beds in acute care facilities.
- The availability of hospital beds is the choke point, determining surgery waitlists, which are one of the top-of-mind issues in health care.
- The costs of an acute care bed can range from $800 to $2000 per day according to a 2015 report by the BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA).
- According to the BCCPA, approximately 13% of acute care beds are occupied by someone who is waiting for a long-term care bed, which cost about $200 per day.
A BC Green Government will act to ensure the staffing of public and private care homes meets government guidelines, and will provide an additional $200 million over four years to address staffing levels in public facilities.
The government will collaborate with Health Authorities and the BC Care Providers Association to ensure that clear, measurable and enforceable staffing standards for residential care facilities are implemented. Standards will be supported by monitoring and enforcement to ensure they are being met.
To read the full details of the BC Green health care platform visit http://www.bcgreens.ca/health. Information above sourced from the BC Green health platform document, available here.
To read details of the BC NDP and BC Liberal seniors care platforms, visit our previous post here.
