New Logos and Endless Restructuring Won’t Fix Seniors Care

New Logos and Endless Restructuring Won’t Fix Seniors Care

EDMONTON — Today, after considerable delay, the Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services updated Albertans on their plan for continuing care, unveiling a new logo and a new name: Assisted Living Alberta. This announcement continues the government’s chaotic restructuring of health care in Alberta. 

“We’ve seen nothing from this government to suggest that the creation of an entirely new agency, siloed from the other pillars of health care, will in any way improve continuing care in our province,” says Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “Instead, we’re seeing this government stoke even more chaos at a moment when so many Albertans are already struggling to navigate our increasingly complex health care system and access the care they need and deserve.”

Two 2023 reports from the Auditor General confirmed how badly we are failing Alberta seniors living in Long-Term Care, citing "severe care staffing shortages” as a major contributor.

“The ongoing short-staffing crisis is compromising the care Albertans are receiving in every part of our health care system, and continuing care is no exception,” says Gallaway. “But instead of addressing the real issues impacting seniors and other Albertans in need of care, the UCP government’s only solution is to drastically restructure health care administration, while doing nothing to address worsening care standards and working conditions in these facilities and in home care.”

As per the Protection for Persons in Care (PPC) 2023-2024 report, the number of cases of abuse in continuing care more than tripled compared to the previous year. Yet the provincial government has continuously ignored calls to bring back a dedicated independent Seniors’ Advocate

The government has also refused to adopt National Long-Term Care Standards, and have since removed mandated minimum hours of care per resident per day. This past fall, the Premier mused about the explicit privatization and “uberization” of continuing care.

“We have seen the systematic privatization of Alberta’s continuing care system to for-profit operators, at the direct expense of seniors and the people who care for them,” says Gallaway. “Today’s announcement continues to allow private corporations to profit off of the care needs of Albertans, with absolutely no accountability to the public or their workers.”

Friends of Medicare continues to call on Albertans to sign on to a letter in support of improved care for seniors, and to sign the petition for improved home care funding.

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