B.C.’s senior population is growing faster than new long-term care beds: advocate

New data shows B.C.’s senior population is growing faster than the rate of new long-term care beds.

A report from B.C.’s seniors advocate says the province has seen a five per cent increase in long-term care beds since 2019 to 2020.

In comparison, the number of people aged 65 and up has grown by 19 per cent.

Seniors’ advocate Dan Levitt said B.C. needs to add 16,000 more long-term care beds over the next decade.

Right now, he said, the province has no plans to meet this demand.

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“We aren’t building that infrastructure,” Levitt said.

“We’re not prioritizing seniors’ care in the way that we need to. If you think about the community where a senior lives, they really shouldn’t have to leave their neighbourhood where their family and friends are, where their community supports are, in order to get long-term care.”

4:35 Wait times for long-term care beds continues to grow in B.C.

The Ministry of Health is currently aiming to add nearly 3,000 beds by 2030.

Levitt said that 10 years ago, there were a few thousand people on the wait-list to receive long-term care.

He said that number has now grown to more than 7,000 people.