Seniors in British Columbia deserve to know that their concerns are heard by the government, North Coast MLA Gary Coons told the Legislature on Monday. Coons was advocating for the creation of an Independent Senior’s Representative.
“Our elders deserve to be treated with the highest level of care and respect,” said Coons. “However, seniors throughout British Columbia are facing grave difficulties with a care system that is cold, impersonal and fails to take individual needs into account.”
Last year NDP Leader Carole James introduced a private member’s bill which would have created an independent senior’s representative, but the bill died on the order paper due to a lack of support from Liberal members of the Legislature.
“This government’s callous regulations concentrate more on cost control than quality care,” said Coons. “A senior’s representative would give seniors and their families access to a non-partisan advocate with the voice needed to force the government to take seniors’ concerns seriously.“
Coons was moved to demand a senior’s advocate after echoing the concerns of support workers at Acropolis Manor and learning of minimum government standards that do little to give vulnerable seniors dignity and quality care.
“This government has squeezed seniors into homes like Acropolis Manor in Prince Rupert, where units are cleaned once every two weeks unless there’s a spill and where once-weekly showers are the order of the day,” said Coons. “The standards used by this government do not meet the needs of the frail and elderly in this province.”