Sunshine Coast residents push for action on long-term care as facilities sit empty

A petition is circulating calling for a decrease in wait times for long-term care.

A petition is gaining momentum on the Sunshine Coast, urging the local health authority to address the pressing issue of wait times for long-term care beds.

Residents like Sarah, who is struggling to secure a long-term care bed for her mother, are frustrated by the limited options in the geographically isolated region.

“It’s tough. It definitely keeps me up at night,” she told CTV News, adding her anxiety comes from knowing the two care homes she is hoping to get her mother into are at capacity.

In 2023, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) decommissioned long-term care homes Shorncliffe Care Centre and Totem Lodge, relocating residents to the Silverstone Care Facility.

Two years later, the facilities remain empty, and Shorncliffe Care Centre is still fenced off.

Vancouver Coastal Health, in a statement to CTV News said work is underway to assess the facilities potential to reopen.

“We have been working with an engineering firm to conduct a thorough assessment of the buildings—including compliance with building codes and a review of safety and seismic standards—which will help inform how they can be repurposed,” a spokesperson wrote, adding that while the assessment of Shorncliffe Care Centre is not complete, the assessment of Totem Lodge “found the opportunity to upgrade and extend the life of the building.”

John Henderson, the mayor of the District of Sechelt said more should have been done earlier,

“I find it perplexing that they’re still planning, apparently,” he said, adding that “having that facility sitting empty is a waste.”

Frustrated, Sarah started a petition to try to prompt action from the province and the health authority.

“I think the community wants answers, from Vancouver Coastal Health and from the Health Ministry on what the plan is for the lower Sunshine Coast,” she said.

The mayor of Gibsons and chair of the Sunshine Coast Regional Hospital District, Silas White, called the situation a “mess.”

He also noted the lack of long-term care beds is putting pressure on other parts of the health-care system.

“Our hospital is overflowing right now with people waiting for long-term care, and it’s causing challenges,” he said.

CTV News asked Vancouver Coastal Health how many hospital beds are currently occupied by people waiting for a spot in long-term care, but the health authority did not provide a comment.

A spokesperson for the Health Ministry acknowledged there are cases where people who should be in long-term care are spending time in acute facilities instead.

“Sometimes people need to wait in hospital for a long-term care bed when it’s not safe for them to return home and we recognize this puts further pressure on hospitals,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Local MLA Randene Neill, in a statement of her own, said she “will continue to advocate for long-term care solutions.”

For residents like Sarah trying to navigate the system, the uncertainty about the future is the biggest stressor.

“Not knowing something is probably the worst part,” she said.