Seven BC Seniors’ Organizations Launch Campaign to Make Home Support More Affordable As Part of BC Seniors Week
By Contributor
During BC Seniors Week, a coalition of seniors’ organizations, caregivers, health providers and system advocates is calling on the Government of British Columbia to eliminate co-payments for publicly-subsidized home support for seniors.
Home support services range from assistance with bathing and daily personal care, to more complex tasks such as catheter care, oxygen therapy and medication management. The goal is to offer enough support that older adults seniors can remain in their own home and avoid, or at least delay moving into a long-term care facility.
“Most provinces, including Alberta and Ontario, do not charge for home support . However, in B.C., seniors with an annual income of $31,000 must pay $10,000 per year for one hour of publicly-subsidized home support per day,” said Dan Levitt, BC Seniors Advocate. “This simply isn’t affordable for seniors living on fixed incomes who often must choose between home support or paying for food, medications, rent, medical equipment or other expenses that come with ageing. Half of B.C. seniors live on less than $37,000 per year – the current system leaves too many people without the vital support they need to age safely at home.”
The Health Care Needs Home Care campaign aims to eliminate income-tested co-payments which create barriers for seniors to access home support to a point where their only option is to enter publicly-subsidized long-term care. British Columbians are asked to visit the web site to send a direct message to their MLA.
The Health Care Needs Home Care campaign coalition represents over 400,000 B.C. seniors and includes:
- Jewish Seniors Alliance of British Columbia (JSABC) https://jsabc.ca/
- Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of BC (COSCO) BC https://coscobc.org/
- Family Caregivers of BC (FCBC) https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca/
- Independent Long-Term Care Councils Association of BC (ILTCCABC) https://iltccabc.ca
- BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) https://bccare.ca/
- BC Health Coalition (BCHC) https://www.bchealthcoalition.ca/
- Seniors First BC seniorsfirstbc.ca/
“Family caregivers give the lion’s share of care at home – about 80% – and they are breaking under the strain with not enough help from our health system”, said Barb MacLean, Family Caregivers of British Columbia. “Home support is the most critical service to sustain care at home, where we all want to be, and it’s not keeping pace – it’s falling short at a time when it’s needed most.
The coalition is urging the provincial government to immediately make the following changes to the home support system:
- Eliminate home support co-payments for all seniors in B.C.
- Shift to a model based on care need, not income.
- Strengthen investment in home and community care as a core pillar of the health system.
“Home support is not a luxury – it is essential healthcare that helps seniors remain safe, independent and connected to their communities,” said Jeff Moss, Jewish Seniors Alliance of British Columbia. “It makes little sense to charge seniors for care that prevents hospitalizations, reduces pressure on long-term care, and ultimately saves the healthcare system money.”
“Across B.C., co-payments are forcing many seniors to delay or forgo care altogether. Advocates say this leads to preventable hospital visits, increased emergency room use, and premature admission to long-term care – placing additional strain on an already overburdened health system” said Leslie Gaudette, Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of BC.
“Every avoided hour of home support often becomes a far more expensive system intervention later,” said Mary Polok, BC Care Providers Association. “This is not just a social issue – it’s a system efficiency issue.”
“In an overburdened healthcare system, we need to invest in prevention, not just crisis care. A third of emergency room visits by seniors in B.C. result in a hospital admission at a cost of $1,000 a day, a situation that could often be averted by a $50/day home support visit,” said Cheryl Cameron, BC Health Coalition.
Coalition members emphasize that eliminating co-payments would improve equitable access to care, reduce demand and shorten wait times for long-term care, reduce emergency department visits and alternate level of care beds in hospital, and support seniors to remain safely at home – where 90% say they want to age with dignity. Strategic investment in home support today will reduce long-term costs and create a more sustainable, effective health care system for the future.
“For many seniors, home support is not a convenience — it is essential health care. Without it, simple daily tasks become dangerous, nutrition declines, medications are missed, and preventable crises too often lead to hospitalization or long-term care,” said Lisa Dawson, Independent Long Term Care Councils Association of BC.
It is imperative that government act now in the interest of all seniors tomorrow.
Campaign Website: https://www.healthcareneedshomecare.ca/. Click ‘Email Your MLA Today’ to send a message to your elected provincial representative.
