In this new report entitled “We Must Do Better: Home Support Services for B.C. Seniors”, the BC Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie provides a comprehensive review of the province’s home support services and finds they need fundamental restructuring. This review shows that the program is not keeping pace with the needs of a growing seniors’ population and while most provinces (no hyphen) provide these services free, BC is the most expensive in Canada.
The report examines 5-year trends in home support funding, hours of care, client acuity, affordability and caregiver distress. Findings reveal that client complexity and frailty is rising, care hours are not growing to meet this need, and more of the care is being shifted to family caregivers who continue to experience high levels of distress. The review includes survey responses from over 6,000 seniors who receive home support and found those who receive service have high regard for the staff who provide their care and do not feel they are subject to discrimination.
