The Canadian Association for Long Term Care offers a path forward in its 2021 federal pre-budget submission
Yesterday, the Canadian Association for Long Term Care (CALTC) revealed its recommendations for the 2021 federal budget. The need for federal investment directly into long-term care homes has never been more important.
This has been an extraordinarily difficult and painful time for everyone connected to long-term care including residents, their families, frontline staff, and those who operate long-term care homes. “We see first-hand the devastating impacts that COVID-19 has had on homes and families across the country,” says Jodi Hall, Chair of CALTC. “What we don’t want, is a fall or winter that is as bad or worse than the spring, but we need support to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
The recommendations unveiled in Long-Term Care’s Perfect Storm: 30 years of Underinvestment and COVID-19 focuses on what homes need right now as we head into the second wave of COVID-19, and what is required in the longer-term to ensure seniors living in long-term care have what they need, not just in a time of crisis, but every day. These recommendations include the following:
Immediate COVID-19 Relief
- Immediate and stable funding in the amount of $2.1 billion over two years to cover personal protective equipment, staffing and other costs associated with COVID-19.
- $92.3M to support the recruitment and retention of infection prevention and control experts in every care home in the country, regardless of size.
Longer-Term Support
- Support for Canadian and international students by including private learning institutions programs under the Post Graduate Work Permit.
- Expansion of federal infrastructure funding to include long-term care homes.
- Investments in the retrofit and building of new long-term care homes to meet current and future demand for long-term care.
- A mandate and corresponding funding to implement a standardized system for collecting residential and financial performance data.
- Modernization of the Canada Health Transfer to include a dedicated “demographic top up” that reflects the increased costs of our ageing population.
“Right now, our efforts as a nation should be focused on rallying around long-term care homes to ensure that seniors have the housing and care they deserve so that they can live and age with dignity,” continues Jodi Hall. With this in mind, CALTC is proud to present its 2021 federal pre-budget submission in support of Canada’s seniors.
