CANADA: Alberta Dragging Its Heels on Seniors Care

EDMONTON, Alberta (Vue Weekly), May 11, 2006: The Alberta provincial government has announced new standards designed to improve seniors’ care, but many aren’t happy with the guidelines and say the government is failing Alberta’s seniors. “Seniors care has been growing into a crisis situation, and it was that crisis situation that the auditor general identified in his report that was released a year ago,” says Bill Moore-Kilgannon, executive director of the advocacy group Public Interest Alberta (PIA). May 9 marked the one year anniversary of the Auditor General’s report on seniors care and programs. It found that a number of the standards for long-term care were not up to date, and that only 68 per cent of the facilities that were visited satisfied even those outdated standards. Moore-Kilgannon says the guidelines contained in the May 3 Continuing Care Health Service Standards are an improvement over the total absence of enforceable standards and have addressed some care concerns, such as staffing hours per resident, which have been increased to 3.6 hours from 3.1. “It’s nowhere near the standard that a lot of countries use, which is four hours of care a day,” Moore-Kilgannon points out. Alberta Health and Wellness spokesperson Sean Beardow says the new guidelines give families and seniors more choices. “Residents and families are going to have far more control over what care services they receive, where they get them, how they get them and who they are delivered by,” Beardow says. Many are skeptical that the new guidelines will change anything for seniors in the province. Both Moore-Kilgannon and Liberal opposition seniors critic Bridget Pastoor point out that the new standards haven’t been put into enforceable legislation. “We realize the enforcement and the monitoring aspects of the standards are a worry to some people. There is some more work that needs to be done,” Beardow says. “Obviously, we acknowledge that change doesn’t happen over night at the snap of the fingers. People are going to need some time to adopt the standards and move towards 100 per cent compliance.” There are several options for seniors care and accommodation in the province, but most seniors with health or mobility issues are cared for either in long-term care or assisted living facilities. Long-term care facilities, where residents receive 24-hour nursing and personal care free of charge, are regulated and maintained by the province. The assisted-living model means residents who require personal care or medical attention must pay for those services out of pocket, in addition to set accommodation expenses. Pastoor says the government is encouraging long-term facilities to change into assisted living settings, and that the assisted living model is about decreased care for increased costs, and mean a downloading of expenses onto individuals who often have limited incomes. Moore-Kilgannon agrees. He says the Alberta government has been supporting the development of assisted living facilities rather than providing infrastructure for adequate long-term care facilities. “If you need help eating, you’ve got to pay; if you need help going to the washroom, if you need anything, you’re paying for everything,” Moore-Kilgannon says. “It’s like being in an American hospital, and that’s the model. Many families are doing everything they can to help their elderly parents but just aren’t able to make ends meet.” Both Pastoor and Moore-Kilgannon say that Alberta needs an independent seniors’ advocate who would report to the Legislature to ensure and enforce the right of seniors to safe and affordable care. “We need to start building and preparing for the increasing number of seniors,” Moore-Kilgannon says, “because if we keep going down the road this government is on, it’s going to be an incredible crisis.” By Tyler Morency tyler@vueweekly.com