As we begin a new year, the Office of the Seniors Advocate is looking forward to tackling a number of issues affecting B.C.’s 820,000 seniors.
Since the office was formed in 2014, I have had the honour of meeting with, and hearing from, thousands of seniors in every corner of the province.
I have seen seniors, who, at 90, still shovel their own snow and others who share thousands of hours of their time to volunteer in their communities. I have seen unfailing care and commitment to lifelong spouses. I have seen all the good that can come with getting older, but I too have seen struggle.
I have seen the 76-year-old senior who rents an apartment in downtown Vancouver and, because her income is so low, relies on food banks and thrift shops to get by. I have met with the couple in the Interior who fear that one more household expense will force them from their home that they have lovingly maintained for more than four decades. I have met the 90-year-old who is letting his teeth rot because he, like thousands of low-income seniors in this province, does not have dental coverage.
My office continues to hear from seniors on a daily basis, and it has been our job to not only raise awareness of their issues, but also to produce evidence-based reports that make recommendations to government and service providers for system improvements. This past 18 months, we have issued five reports focusing on a range of issues from seniors’ housing to overmedication and lack of access to rehabilitative care for seniors in residential care, to caregiver distress and gaps in respite services in the province.
We begin 2016 with the release of our first Annual Monitoring Report of Seniors’ services in B.C., a benchmark that we will be able to compare year over year how we are doing in delivering seniors’ services. What we found overall is that while some things are working well, there is room for improvement.
Now, our priority is to tackle home support. The results of a province-wide survey conducted by our office of home support clients and their family members have come in and will inform a full review of the home support system was released in January. The OSA will be examining how this vital service is meeting the needs of seniors in different parts of the province and will look at the funding and approval process for home support.
In hearing from seniors, we know they also have deep concerns about the cost of drugs and the lack of supplementary benefits for dental treatments, eyeglasses, hearing and mobility aids. In response to these concerns, my office will be launching reviews of both PharmCare and Supplementary Benefits in 2016, and will make recommendations to government for improvements.
It will be a busy year ahead. We encourage seniors and their families to join us in our journey to improve the lives of seniors in British Columbia. We are confident that with your insight and support, real and lasting change will be made.
All the best for a healthy and happy New Year.
Isobel Mackenzie
Seniors Advocate,
Province of British Columbia
