‘We’re actually going backwards’: Who will care for B.C.’s seniors as the number of elderly rapidly rises?

When it comes to caring for a rapidly growing senior population, B.C. is moving backwards, according to the provincial seniors advocate.

When it comes to the care of a rapidly growing senior population, B.C. is moving backwards.

That’s according to the province’s seniors advocate, who is worried about a support system falling further and further behind in B.C., where seniors will account for one in four people within the next decade.

“We’re not even maintaining the same levels of services. In fact, we’re actually going backwards,” said Dan Levitt, B.C. seniors advocate.

A new report, titled “Monitoring Seniors Services 2025,” has found an alarming jump in those waiting to get into long-term care with more than 7,000 on the waitlist last year.

“As families are waiting for a space in long-term care, that can be a real challenging point in time, it can often push families to a breaking point,” explained Rebecca Frederick of the Alzheimer Society of B.C. and Yukon.

The report also found that the province is spending tens of millions more keeping seniors in hospital because of a lack of capacity in care facilities.

“We see people accessing the emergency departments. We see them ending up in an alternate care space which is really a fancy way of saying…they’re in hospital when they don’t necessarily need to be because they don’t have a safe place to go,” said Frederick.

Another issue raised is the growing waitlists for many surgeries. While waits for cataract surgery have fallen significantly, that’s not the case with many other surgeries.

Levitt said that in the past six years, the waitlist for knee replacement surgeries has risen 61 per cent, with hip replacements waits up 72 per cent.

“Delays in surgery can have disproportionate and serious effects on people age 65 and older, including worsening health and disease progression, loss of function and independence, more complications and longer, more difficult recovery and higher risk of death,” he said at a news conference Thursday.

Something else the report found is that the abuse of seniors and crimes against them are on the rise.

“Violent offenses against seniors reported to the B.C. RCMP went up by 28 per cent, and there was a 65 per cent increase in cases of financial fraud against seniors reported to Vancouver Police Department, which is especially worrisome because so many of these cases go unreported,” Levitt said.

He is calling on the province to create an action-oriented seniors’ plan.

CTV News asked for an interview with Health Minister Josie Osborne, but received a statement instead.

The Health Ministry wrote that it is reviewing the report’s findings.

“Government is committed to supporting seniors age in their home communities and close to loved ones, whether that means living independently or in care,” the statement reads.

“Over the past five years, government has invested approximately $3.5 billion in primary care, home health, long-term care, assisted living, and respite services,” it adds.

The ministry also explained that across B.C., the number of clients receiving home support services has increased 23 per cent since 2016.