On October 16th, the BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) in partnership with Denominational Health Association hosted a special Care to Chat online event featuring representatives of the three major parties vying for your votes in the BC Election.
Over 150 people registered for this timely and important dialogue between the BC NDP, BC Liberals and BC Greens on the future of seniors care and housing for British Columbia’s older adults. The COVID-19 crisis has thrust seniors care into the national spotlight, exposing systemic challenges around staffing, funding and infrastructure that have been flagged for years by experts.
PANELISTS:
- Adrian Dix — BC NDP, Candidate for Vancouver-Kingsway
- Norm Letnick — BC Liberals, Candidate for Kelowna-Lake Country
- Annemieke Holthuis — BC Greens, Candidate for Victoria-Swan Lake
MODERATOR:
- Mike Klassen, BCCPA VP Public Affairs
BCCPA and EngAge BC have published an Election 2020 page with the association’s 5-Point Plan for sector improvements. The resource includes an election promise tracker for the three parties. Visit that page at this link.
We also are encouraging members and those in the sector to reach out to their local candidates. Here are some recommended questions you might ask them:
If you have an opportunity to engage with your local candidates, we have a few questions you may want to ask them:
- Does your party support the idea of a standalone Ministry of Seniors’ Services? How would this Ministry be resourced?
- There are already too few workers in seniors’ care. How will your party ensure that B.C. has enough qualified workers to prepare for an aging population?
- What’s your party’s plan for ensuring that family members can safely visit their loved ones in long-term care? What resources will you allocate to supporting this?
- Will your party modernize and build more long-term care homes? How are you planning to prepare for today’s needs, as well as the needs of baby boomers, many of whom will need care over the coming decade?
- How will you support seniors to age in place? Will you establish a tax credit to make it easier for seniors to access family-retained home care and home support and independent living options?
We’d like to thank our Care to Chat speaker series sponsors who have made these sector dialogues possible.
Rexall Health Solutions – Title Sponsor
Point Click Care – Gold Sponsor
Sobeys National Pharmacy Group – Silver Sponsor
Medical Pharmacies Group Limited – Silver Sponsor
