On this edition of Journal, seniors services. For 11 years, British Columbia’s Seniors Advocate has been measuring the challenges facing our seniors.
Sad to say, it’s not a pretty picture. In fact, Dan Levitt, our Seniors Advocate, says when you look at the data, we are actually going backwards – not nearly meeting today’s requirements, let
alone preparing for the future as a tsunami of aging hits our society.
Waitlists are growing: for seniors, hip surgery waits have increased 72% over the last 6 years and knee replacement waits are up 61%.
In the recent provincial budget, seniors were hit hard with new sales taxes on basics – hard to swallow when you are on a fixed income.
More importantly, 7 long-term bed projects already in process around the province were withdrawn, to be “re-paced” – a euphemism for “good luck if they ever come back.” But the need for these beds is extreme. Last year there were over 7,000 seniors in BC on a waitlist for a long-term bed: an increase of 200% over six years ago.
I am cognizant of financial restrictions. But think of this: for every senior taking up a hospital bed they no longer require, it costs the government an average of $1,200 per day. However, they can’t be released because there isn’t a care bed available in the community. If there were, that cost would be much less – around $300. So this is an example of government inaction costing money rather than saving money.
As BC’s Seniors Advocate, Dan Levitt has been collecting this data and trying to get the attention of the government while there is still some hope for action.
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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.
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