With the opening of the House of Commons this week, the BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) has sent an open letter to BC MPs urging them to make the challenges of an aging society - as outlined in the recent report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer - a top priority in the coming session of Parliament. The letter read as follows:
"This week, the House of Commons will convene in Ottawa for a new session of Parliament. As usual, Members of Parliament will be preparing legislation and debating the big national issues of the day.
On behalf of our members across the province, the BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) is urging you to make the challenges associated with our aging society a top priority in the coming session.
In his February report, the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) identified our aging society as a significant threat to the sustainability of Canada's fiscal structure. He confirms that spending pressures on our health care system will intensify as the population ages - particularly as it relates to the cost of drugs, new technology and the need to expand access to residential care.
Under the Parliament of Canada Act, the PBO is mandated to provide independent analysis to the House of Commons on the state of the nation's finances and trends in the national economy. It is our hope you will take the conclusions of his report very seriously and work with your colleagues to develop solutions to this challenge. Failing to act now will only increase the amount of corrective action required to achieve sustainability over the long term.
The PBO's startling conclusions are matched by January's report from the Alzheimer's Society of Canada (ASC) which predicted the number of Canadians living with the disease and other forms of dementia will more than double in our generation to 1.1 million. To accommodate this demand, the number of long term care beds in Canada will need to increase by over 140% to 690,000 by 2038.
BCCPA has been representing care providers on the west coast for over 30 years. Our members care for 10,000 seniors a day in residential care and another 4,000 each year through home support. While we are on the front lines of this crisis, we know the challenges confronting care providers here are taking place across Canada.
Recognizing provincial health care jurisdictions, national leadership is required on this issue and Parliament needs to focus on the challenges of our aging society. Here is a list of opportunities for you to consider with your colleagues:
- establish national senior's care fund to promote innovation, help achieve consistent quality standards and employ thousands of residential care aides and nurses across Canada (similar to previous federal Health Canada funds for primary care, rural health, health information technology)
- increase seniors' health promotion through an expanded New Horizons program
- expand home retrofit tax credits that facilitate improved home and community care options for seniors
- extend definitions in Federal Excise Tax Act to provide consistent exemptions for all long term health care providers
- direct Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to expand existing programs to support development of additional seniors housing and community care infrastructure
- use federal training funds to provide financial incentives, wage subsidies and new training spaces for Canadians seeking career in seniors' care sector
- publish analysis of the implications of demographic change on Canadian economy - as promised in federal 2007 Budget
BCCPA is working very closely with the BC government to ensure our seniors' care system is more efficient and sustainable - with some success. Now it is time for our federal leaders to understand that the challenges of our aging society are no longer arriving at the feet of future leaders. They are knocking on the door today."
