Help Wanted: Developing a Human Resource Strategy for Seniors Care
Abstract
With Canada’s aging population, ensuring there are satisfactory health human resources to care for frail and elderly seniors is one of the most pressing issues facing B.C.’s continuing care sector. In the 2017 Strengthening Seniors Care: A Made-in-BC Roadmap report, the BC Care Providers Association highlighted the importance of HHR issues, including the recruitment and retention of care workers.
As outlined in the report, both residential care operators and home support workers report their organizations are often short-staffed, with health care aides, community health workers, licensed practical nurses, and registered nurses all identified as priority positions.
Low-recruitment rates, high incidence of worker burnout and injury, funding challenges, and the increasing acuity level of seniors in care, all contribute to labour shortages experienced by continuing care operators.
Although some initiatives to deal with these challenges are underway—including the Ministry of Health’s Action Plan to Strengthen Home and Community Care for Seniors, and a commitment to hire 1,500 full-time equivalent workers in residential care over next four years—more work is needed to ensure a viable and healthy senior care workforce.
The Collaborative
To address these challenges, the BCCPA, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, brought together over 170 stakeholders at the Second Annual BC Continuing Care Collaborative on January 26, 2018 at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel. The inaugural event in September 2016, was dubbed “historic” for its broad representation from all parts of the continuing care sector.
This full-day event included stakeholders from across the continuing care sector — care providers, government and health authority representatives, labour unions, NGOs, research and policy institutions, universities and training colleges, and frontline workers themselves. The day consisted of presentations and workshops to identify new ideas and opportunities, including addressing such issues as health care workforce recruitment, retention, and training; as well as rural versus urban challenges, workplace safety, new interdisciplinary teams, and opportunities for collaboration.
The Hon. Adrian Dix, Minister of Health gave a keynote address.
Event Materials
Videos
You can advance through the #BCC3 YouTube playlist to watch the talk from each speaker.
PowerPoints
For many of the talks there are PowerPoint slides ordered below by presenter (open in a new window).
Photo Album
Browse our Flickr photo album for images capturing the Collaborative.
Sponsorship
The BC Continuing Care Collaborative was made possible in partnership with the Ministry of Health and our sponsors McKesson Canada and Arjo.
