The province of B.C. has been dealing with a shortage in senior care workers over the last few years, but the problem’s expected to get bigger.
The BC Care Providers Association’s Chief Executive Officer Daniel Fontaine said that over the next five years, about 2,800 job vacancies are expected to open up.
Those jobs range from care-aids to registered nurses.
According to Fontaine, new provincial funding is partially responsible.
“The province has listened to us, and to others in the community, and has invested an additional $1-billion in seniors care and hiring of new staff.”
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Fontaine said those 2,800 projected empty positions means more people are being overworked in the meantime.
“When you’re short staffed, people tend to get injured more often because people are doing things quicker and maybe don’t follow the proper procedure,” he said.
“That’s one of the reasons why, we believe, the highest injury rate of any occupation in the province is care-aids.”
Another reason for the impending shortage — many people working in senior care right now are on their way out.
“The average age of the work force is going up and are planning for retirement in the next five years,” Fontaine said.
“So we not only have to replace those workers, we then have to add in those new positions that the funding will provide in the province.”
Fontaine adds that when people are overworked, seniors tend to not get the care that’s expected.
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