B.C. falls behind in meeting needs of seniors as population grows, says advocate

British Columbia’s seniors advocate says the province is falling behind in meeting the basic needs of its older residents, a growing population that is forecast to make up a quarter of the population by 2035.

Dan Levitt said Wednesday that his report on seniors services in B.C. found that despite some investments in services, there are troubling statistics surrounding health care, long-term care, home care, housing, transportation and community services, 

While there are some positives in the report, such as seniors living longer and staying healthy longer, the numbers tell a story of a system failing to meet seniors’ needs, he said.

“Even though the seniors’ population is increasing, we are not even maintaining service levels year over year,” said Levitt. “In fact, they are getting worse. We are going backward in several very important areas.”

He said the concerns mount as the number of seniors in B.C. grows, rising 45 per cent in the last decade to more than a million people, with forecasts for the coming decade of 25 per cent of B.C’s. population comprising people over 65 years old.

“Have we done enough?” Levitt asked. 

“Clearly, from the data we’ve shown and reported on, we’re not keeping up with the pace that we need to invest in things like long-term care, assisted living and more affordable housing,” he said during a news conference. 

Levitt said there are serious concerns about wait-times for people to get into long-term care.

Almost 6,500 seniors were waiting for publicly subsidized long-term care beds in the last year, an increase of 250 per cent over the last five years, he noted. 

Seniors admitted to long-term care facilities from hospital wait an average of 36 days, but seniors who are living at home and assessed as eligible for long-term care, wait an average of 225 days, he said.

“You should be able to get into the system in a planned way waiting at home, not having to go to the hospital to move in,” Levitt said. “I think that’s our No. 1 thing that concerns me.”

The Office of the Seniors Advocate plans to release a report next year that tracks long-term care supply and demand in B.C., he said.

Levitt said the report also showed wait-lists for knee and hip replacements for seniors have increased by more than 50 per cent in the last five years. 

He said the B.C. government must develop a cross-ministry approach that defines how the province will meet the needs of people who will require access to significant public services as they age.