Care to Chat wrap up: B.C. Minister of Health, Hon. Josie Osborne, discusses challenges and opportunities in seniors’ care

On September 19^th, BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) kicked off season 13 of its popular Care to Chat series with the 5^th Annual Minister’s Lunch featuring the Honourable Josie Osborne, B.C. Minister of Health at the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver. Minister Osborne sat down with BCCPA CEO Mary Polak and Denominational Health Association Board Chair Joy Parsons (President & CEO, Fair Haven Homes Society) for a conversation on the future of seniors’ care in B.C.

Minister Osborne opened the session with a keynote address, highlighting the importance of collaboration among all those who provide care for seniors across the province. She emphasized the need to ensure that seniors remain connected to their communities and have timely access to the services they rely on. Osborne also emphasized the growing demand for seniors’ care and the critical importance of recruiting and retaining workers in the sector.

Following her keynote, Minister Osborne joined Mary Polak and Joy Parsons for a fireside chat that explored key issues in the senior care and living sector, including:

Expanding system capacity
Fair funding models
Health human resources
The Aging in the Right Place tax credit for home support and independent living
The provisions of the Residential Tenancy Act and independent living

With demand for seniors’ living and care services continuing to rise, Osborne stressed the need to leverage the full continuum of care to address this crisis. She repeatedly mentioned workforce recruitment and retention as a top priority and highlighted the importance of ongoing collaboration between the government and the affiliate care sector to address the needs of the senior care sector. Further, she also acknowledged the challenges faced by seniors and operators of independent living surrounding the Residential Tenancy Act.

While no new announcements or developments were revealed, we were honoured to have Minister Osborne join us and engage directly with our sector on these pressing issues.