Seniors Advocate Calls on New Government to Develop Cross-Ministry Seniors Plan

A recent report from the Office of the Seniors Advocate(OSA) shows seniors are living healthier and longer, but the waitlists for health care and housing needs do not meet the demands.

“There is less home care, long-term care beds, rent subsidies, and seniors subsidized housing available today per population,” says BC Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt in the news release. “This is particularly worrisome when the seniors’ population in B.C has grown and will continue to increase over the next decade.”

The OSA released a Monitoring Seniors Services report this morning stating the overall population of seniors has increased by 25 per cent in the last five years, and over 45 per cent in the last decade. Yet, despite government investments, the OSA says it continues “to fall behind meeting many basic needs.”

The Monitoring report says that hospitalizations and emergency department visits have decreased has seen a “slight” decrease. However, the number of seniors on waitlists for life-altering hip and knee replacement surgeries have both increased by over 50 per cent.

The OSA survey reports over 6,500 people are on waitlists for a publically subsidized long-term care bed in 2023 and 2024. Compared to only 2,600 were waitlisted five years ago.

There was around 14,000 applications for seniors subsidized housing in 2023/24, of which only 6 per cent of applicants received a housing unit last year.

The report also states senior abuse reports as also increased.

The RCMP reports they have received an 18 per cent increase in seniors being victims of a violent offense, a 23 per cent increase in being an assault victim, and an 88 per cent increase in frauds experienced by seniors in the last five years.

“The new government must develop an action-oriented, measurable cross-ministry seniors plan,” says Levitt. “It must define how it will meet the growing needs of a population we have know for decades will access significant public services.”