B.C. families call for improved long-term care, assisted living

Eighty-seven-year-old Satwant Kaur Kumar was told it would be a long wait to get into assisted living despite dealing with chronic, severe pain that was impacting her quality of life, according to her daughter Kiran Saluja. 

When she heard it would take four years, Kumar protested. 

"I may not be alive at [that] time because I am having a hard time now." 

Saluja said her mother was put on an emergency list and got into care much sooner, but worries others aren't afforded the same opportunity. 

"There is a lineup of people who want to come here who need that care," Saluja said. 

It's a similar situation for those looking to get into long-term care in B.C. Colleen Backlin says it was a long process for her to get her 87-year-old mother the care she needed. 

Her mother had become dangerously forgetful and even got lost. When she took her mom to the doctor, she was told her condition wasn't quite bad enough to be put on a list for long-term care. 

Eventually, her condition worsened, and she was able to get the help she needed, but Backlin said it took too long. 

"I would like to see some creative thought about how we manage our elders," she said. "How can we help elderly people, people with dementia and other disabilities to live well to the end?"

According to a report from the B.C. Care Provider's Association earlier this year, the waitlist for long-term care has more than doubled in the last five years, and as of March 2022, nearly 800 seniors were on the list for assisted living.  

Adequate, affordable care is one of many issues seniors are faced with, and as a provincial election draws near, provincial parties are coming out with plans to ensure seniors, who tend to have the highest voter turnout, are included in their policies. 

The Conservative Party of B.C. has promised to add 5,000 new long-term care beds by 2030 if elected this fall and plans to commission a review of long-term care practices and infrastructure. 

The B.C. NDP's platform includes 5,400 new long-term care beds, however, there isn't a timeline attached to the promise. According to a statement from the B.C. government on Sept. 5, 2024, the NDP had spent $3.5 billion on seniors care over the past five years, which included new assisted living and long-term care spaces. 

Meanwhile, the B.C. Greens have said they'll increase long-term care beds by 10 per cent each year. 

All three parties have also promised improved access to care for seniors still living at home. 

"The prime goal is to keep people out of these beds, I think," said Tim Binnema, the B.C. Green Party candidate for Surrey-Fleetwood. 

Saluja said seniors care needs to be expanded — fast. 

"They do need a lot of care. There are a lot of seniors who are at that age that they need assisted living and long-term care."

Now 64, she worries about the situation when she gets to the point where she needs more care. 

"I'm scared, actually," she said. "I don't want to be at that point when we need it, and it's not there. We need to think about it now, while we still can, to have these spaces open."