Last week the B.C. Seniors Advocate release the report Seniors at Home and in Long-Term Care – A 2017/18 Snapshot. The report highlights the latest health data for B.C. residents receiving home care and living in long-term care facilities, and raises the following questions:

• Why is our use of antipsychotics so high?
• Why do we have higher rates of renal failure?
• Why do we see higher functioning seniors in long-term care?
• Why do we have significantly lower rates of monitoring of acute conditions?
• Why do we have such a high rate of caregiver distress?
• Why do residents in care facilities experience much higher rates of daily pain while clients in the community experience much lower rates?
• Why do we have lower rates of social engagement in our care facilities?

To see the full report, click here.

As the data indicates, while B.C.'s rate of caregiver distress among clients receiving home support has decreased by 3.2% in the last year, there is a 3.4% overall increase in the past five years and is the second highest rate in Canada. We are pleased to see the Seniors Advocate continue to monitor this issue, among others, and we will continue to follow this work.

In solidarity,

Scott De Long

Component 8 VP

UWU/MoveUP