B.C. Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt is warning that the province must act now to plan for additional long-term care beds as the population of British Columbians over 75 years grows. Otherwise, wait times will continue to grow, straining families and caregivers.
Levitt and his team studied the situation over the past ten years, finding that a decade ago, there were 77 beds per 1,000 people over 75. Today, there are 58 beds, and by 2035, Levitt said, this number could fall to 41. This is based on a projected 79-per-cent increase in the number of seniors over 75 in B.C. from 517,000 today to 772,000 by 2035.
"We have to build 50 per cent more long-term care beds than exist today to meet the demand," Levitt said.
Levitt presented his findings in Victoria on Tuesday, July 29, releasing the report 'From shortfall to crisis: Growing demand for long-term care beds in B.C.'
Not all seniors need long-term care, Levitt notes in his report, and many can live out their lives at home. Currently, about 35,000 require long-term care. This is expected to grow to 55,000 over the next decade.
Meanwhile, the province has committed to building 2,935 new public long-term care beds between 2025 and 2031. This is a 10-per-cent increase.
But there is already a 2,000-bed shortfall, which is only expected to grow. If current trends and building plans play out, Levitt expects there to be a shortfall of 7,000 beds by 2030 and 16,000 by 2025.
"Clearly, bed supply is not growing at the same pace as the target population," Levitt's report says.
This puts a burden on the adult children of seniors and their spouses, who are often left to care for family members waiting for long-term care beds.
"Caregiving is demanding and often expensive; care needs are getting more complex as people are living longer and spend more time in advanced age," Levitt's report says.