Whereas aging in place keeps seniors close to home, where their partner, family or friends are better able to provide loving support, which improves quality of life for all; And whereas the gap between rural heath care needs and capacity is growing; And whereas concentrating health services in regional centers transfers a significant economic burden to individuals in the form of transportation costs, increased energy consumption and housing in-affordability; And whereas our elderly, and all patients, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, not as users: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call upon the Government of British Columbia to recognize the importance and benefits of aging in place in rural communities by committing to increase the number of care beds through the expansion or building of facilities to meet the growing need.
Ministry of Health Government is dedicated to improving care for seniors and has invested more than 1 billion over the last three years to improve care for seniors, including investments in primary care, home health, long-term care, assisted living, and respite services. This included 75 million over three years to expand respite care and adult day programs to better support family and friend caregivers. The 2020 Minister of Healths mandate letter is evidence of our continued focus on improving services for seniors and includes the following commitments: - Improve and expand publicly funded home care to provide better care and help with daily living so that people can stay in their own homes for as long as is safely possible, receiving care from a more stable group of care aides. - Support delivery of better care to seniors by private operators of long-term care homes by making them more accountable for the public funding they receive. - Work with the new Parliamentary Secretary of Seniors and Long-Term Care to engage non-profit providers to support the plan to build more public care homes, including new public beds, to keep seniors safer, healthier, and more comfortable. The Ministry of Health the Ministry is committed to ensuring seniors receive dignified and quality care through a coordinated, systematic, and purposeful approach to improving services including home care and long-term care. The Ministry is also actively involved in initiatives to enhance seniors connections with community with the goal of supporting seniors to live active and engaging lives. Since 2017, we have taken significant action to improve long-term care in BC. This includes providing greater choice for individuals and their families when choosing a long-term care facility through a more client-centred, consistent, transparent, and clear process. Health authorities have also been funded to reach 3.36 direct care hours per resident-day, on average, across all owned and operated and contracted facilities since April 2020. Our goal is to support seniors to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. In doing this, we can also delay or avoid their entry into long-term care. Expanding the Better at Home program is the latest in a series of investments the Province has made to help older adults living at home. More seniors and Elders in British Columbia are able to maintain their independence and stay in their own homes through expansion of the United Ways Better at Home betterathome.ca program to serve more communities. Supporting seniors to remain at home longer was a key action identified in our plans to manage COVID-19, and temporary policies enabled greater flexibility with home support and in-home respite to support clients and caregivers. The Province also partnered with the United Way and bc211 to launch the Safe Seniors, Strong Communities program, a province-wide service that matches community-based seniors with local volunteers to provide non-medical services. The Rural, Remote, First Nations and Indigenous COVID-19 Response Framework, launched in April 2020, was developed to help ensure people living in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities have access to critical health care to meet their unique needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future. The Framework continues to support rural, remote and Indigenous communities through the COVID-19 pandemic, and planning for the longer-term strategies to support these communities beyond the pandemic is underway. The Framework is intended to bring both immediate and long-term, sustainable solutions to those living in rural and remote communities.