More longterm care beds for IHA

The B.C. government and Interior Health have announced a major boost to longterm care in the region where an aging population is increasing rapidly.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says 495 new long-term care beds are to be funded.

Construction is expected to start early next year.

These include 90 new beds in both Vernon and Penticton, 140 new beds in Kelowna, 100 in Kamlooops and 70 in Nelson.

Once open, the number of publicly-funded long-term care beds available in the Interior Health region will increase by nearly 10 per cent, rising to 6,550.

Dix says the increase in beds is needed, pointing out that within IHA, there will be 28 per cent more people over 75 in five years than there are today.

The minister says the province is taking action to improve health services for seniors and is recruiting and training new care aides.

“When I became Minister of Health, 87 per cent of
care homes did not meet provincial standards for staffing and a huge number of them, some 90 care homes, were dramatically below standards,” Dix said at a news conference on Monday.

However he added that action is being taken to correct that.

“At the end of this year, the province will meet the provincial standard since those standard were applied and I think that’s a real achievement in public health care.”

Dix said the government has recruited and is training new care aides in order to increase staffing.

He said as COVID-19 took hold health care orders were issued to ensure aides kept to one site and wages were increased.

“COVID-19 has demonstrated to us obviously the central vulnerability in this time, in this particular time, of people living in longterm care…to this infection for which there is no vaccine and no cure.”

The minister said all of the news beds will be single room occupancy and the facilities will meet provincial standards for staffing.

The province has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) that will be assessed in the fall and the successful bidders will be announced in December.

He expects construction to begin in early 2021.

Dix also pledged a better standard of care for seniors, including in home support, respite care, community support and adult daycare programs.