VICTORIA – British Columbia’s seniors’ advocate says seniors are waiting longer for residential care and subsidized housing, while complaints about residential care are growing.
Isobel Mackenzie released her office’s second annual report today, highlighting where seniors’ needs are being met and where improvements are most needed.
The report says wait times for residential care grew longer in three of five regional health authorities, with the proportion of residents admitted to residential care within 30 days down 11 per cent from last year.
She says one contributing factor is that seniors are staying in residential care longer, so beds are not becoming available as frequently.
MacKenzie also says that the number of subsidized housing units for seniors remained relatively flat, while the number of people 55 and older waiting for a unit increased by 11 per cent.
The report also outlines positive progress, including an increase in the number of new users of the property tax deferment program, which allows seniors to apply for a low-interest loan to pay their property taxes, and a decrease in the number of unfilled HandyDART ride requests.
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