A delegation of front line care workers walk to meet MLAs in the B.C. Legislature
The Province of British Columbia proclaimed February 19, 2020 as the day in this year’s calendar that all of us should celebrate and acknowledge the people who care for our seniors. This includes front line staff such as health care aides and nurses in a care home or an assisted living complex, as well as https://bccare.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/medcare-img22.jpgistrators, managers and directors of care, bookkeepers, human resources staff, schedulers, housekeeping staff, cooks and building maintenance workers.
It also means home care and home support staff who make daily one-on-one visits to care for a senior, who in many cases, lives alone.
For this reason, a four-person delegation of experienced health care aides and a home support worker spent much of that day in meetings with B.C.’s elected leaders. The day included a networking event to celebrate the proclamation attended by the Minister of Health Adrian Dix, many of his BC NDP caucus colleagues, as well as representatives of the Official Opposition BC Liberals and the BC Green Party. All parties were present to express their thanks for seniors care providers.
The bulk of the afternoon was spent in meetings with the government and opposition caucus members. The delegation included care aides Nicole Conley and Lisa Mackenzie from Sidney All Care Residence, Jill Huckin from Broadmead Care, and home support worker Terra Munro of Bayshore Home Health. Accompanied by BCCPA CEO Daniel Fontaine and board president Aly Devji, the delegation helped our elected representatives to better understand the ongoing challenges they face as a result of staffing shortages.
The challenge Canada faces going forward is the record job growth that is already happening in the field of seniors care careers. It is not widely known that in British Columbia, seniors care is the number one area of job growth identified by B.C.’s own Labour Market Outlook report.
There are many people who are well-suited to working with seniors, and who are looking for a stable occupation with competitive pay and benefits. Matching those strong candidates to the jobs available is one of the many challenges our sector faces.
Nicole, Lisa, Jill and Terra shared their personal stories of how they came to work in the sector, as well as their passion for serving seniors. They also dispelled myths around why there are not enough staff – such as the suggestion that employers are refusing to staff or hire appropriately.
“I am also responsible for scheduling at our five care homes,” commented Jill Huckin from Broadmead. “We work hard to try and balance the needs of those we care for and the lives of our staff members. We depend upon staff to give us as much as a year lead time when booking vacation. We send out texts and messages constantly to fill our lines, but there are just not the people available.”
Lisa Mackenzie shared a similar story. “It is quite possible that a care aide could work dozens of hours of overtime if that’s what they want. I have done that in the past. However, we know that our staff have families and lives outside the workplace, so it is critical we have enough people so we aren’t relying on overtime.”
Through the compelling stories told by the four representatives, the voices of many of our frontline care workers were heard this week in the B.C. Legislature. BCCPA thanks all the seniors care providers who celebrated with us in Victoria this week, and for sharing their stories and experiences with our elected representatives.
We must work together so we can solve the health human resources crisis.
Photo Gallery – BCCPA Lobby Day, Feb. 19, 2020
