EDMONTON — Every October 1 is recognized as the International Day of Older Persons. This year’s theme is The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives. Today, Friends of Medicare are renewing our calls for the provincial government to rethink our continuing care and home care systems by implementing long-overdue improvements to meet the needs of the growing population requiring these crucial health care services.
“The International Day of Older Persons is a day to appreciate and celebrate Alberta’s seniors, but the truth is, they deserve so much better than what they are getting from our provincial government when it comes to seniors care,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “If our government truly wanted to celebrate older persons, they would be doing more than putting out a statement once a year. They would be supporting and growing the programs that provide much-needed support and care to seniors. Instead, this government is actively watering down the regulations and services that keep Alberta seniors safe and healthy.”
Two reports from the Auditor General in 2023 showed clearly how badly we are failing Alberta seniors living in Long-Term Care as result of decades of underfunding and chronic understaffing, and validated what Friends of Medicare and other advocates have long said about needed improvements to the system. But instead of action to improve care, we have seen repeated changes to make care less accessible and more expensive for seniors. This includes changes brought in by Bill 11, which mean as of today, seniors on employer and private insurance plans will be faced with higher premiums upon renewal, just to maintain current health coverage.
Additionally, provincial Continuing Care Act regulations brought into effect in 2024 removed mandatory minimum hours of care for residents of continuing care homes in Alberta altogether.
“Minimum care hours in Alberta were already woefully low, leaving far too many residents suffering without their care needs being met,” said Gallaway. “Rather than weakening regulations even further, the government could act immediately to help fix this system by adopting national long-term care standards, bringing back an independent Office of the Seniors Advocate, improving working conditions so that facilities aren’t relying on a low paid precarious workforce, implementing things like paid sick days for all workers, and ultimately taking back control of the system by removing profits from the equation for seniors care altogether.”
In recent months, Friends of Medicare has stood alongside frontline seniors’ care workers at press conferences and rallies across the province as they’ve pushed for better working conditions. In some cases, for-profit care homes are offering their workers raises as low as only 1% over the term of a 4-year contract.
“I’ve been meeting with seniors’ care workers across the province, and what I’m hearing is both heartbreaking and incredibly troubling,” Gallaway said. “They're burnt out and consistently working short-staffed, always worrying about the company's bottom line while never feeling equipped to provide the care they know they could if properly resourced. Ultimately, we know that their working conditions are the care conditions Alberta seniors are receiving."
“Mandating 4.5 hours of care and investing in adequate staffing levels would mean Alberta families could be assured that their loved ones are being cared for with the respect and dignity they deserve. No more empty statements of recognition, seniors deserve action from their government,” concluded Gallaway.
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