Recently, representatives of the Alzheimer Society of B.C. set out decisive action they wanted to see candidates commit to in the lead-up to the provincial election on Oct. 19.
The Squamish Chief asked the three candidates running for Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky: Which initiatives in your party's platform will help improve access to dementia care services, including in communities like Squamish, which are outside city centres?
Jeremy Valeriote, BC Green Party candidate
“I had the honour of visiting Hilltop House earlier this week to meet with residents and staff to hear about how they’re doing, and to discuss their concerns. I truly appreciated the wisdom and perspective from long lives lived in the Sea to Sky,” said Valeriote.
“I heard about how the lack of long-term care beds in the corridor meant residents were separated from their families and communities. I heard from a Lil’wat Nation member who would be much happier and healthier if they could reside near Mount Currie and about a Squamish Nation member who is displaced to the North Shore, away from their family, on a long waitlist for Hilltop,” he continued.
“While I am encouraged to hear that Hilltop will be replaced with a larger, modern, long-term care facility in the next few years, population growth in the corridor means this is likely to be insufficient.
“From what I heard, it seems the same systemic problems affecting our healthcare services can be seen in dementia care: leadership out of touch with staff delivering services; a lack of transparency around criteria for qualifying for long-term care; bureaucracy hindering patient care; and a funding model that counts people instead of treating them as human beings.
“On dementia care, the BC Greens would defer to the experience and advice of the Alzheimer Society, who have led the way in educating the public and reducing stigma. They recommend that we support family practitioners to do more early screening for dementia. Early detection improves outcomes, which is another reason why we must tackle the family doctor shortage and guarantee access to primary care for all. Plus, we must establish a clear dementia care pathway so families have clarity about what happens next,” he said.
“There also needs to be a dementia support strategy, with a focus on cultural safety because the stress caused to brain health by experiences such as racism and colonization increases the likelihood of dementia.
Finally, on care across the province we would accept the recommendations of the BC Seniors’ Advocate to develop and implement a Provincial Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Plan focused on achieving equity in care services. For-profit, publicly-funded care homes cost more and deliver less care, so BC Greens want to assist in a significant expansion of non-profit care capacity.”
Yuri Fulmer, Conservative Party candidate
“British Columbia’s healthcare system is in crisis. Our once globally envied system is letting far too many people slip through the cracks; often, these people are our seniors and those living with dementia,” Fulmer said.
“That is why the Conservative Party of BC has announced our “patient first” model for healthcare that puts the emphasis on delivering quality care for all people, regardless of how they access that care. On Sept. 24, John Rustad also announced our party’s plan to stand up for seniors. The plan includes tax credits for caregivers and increased funding for home support services, which are both critical to supporting those living with dementia. The plan also calls for an increase in support and streamlined care for seniors with dementia through a comprehensive, person-centred care pathway from early diagnosis to advanced stages.
“Over the last seven years, the NDP’s failure on this file has left families no choice but to step in to support their loved ones with their time and money; this is unacceptable. As your problem-solver in Victoria, I will take action for our most vulnerable people, alongside John Rustad and a Conservative government.”
BC NDP candidate Jen Ford
"People want the best care for their loved ones—and that’s especially true when it comes to stressful diagnoses like Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. And while I’m not in a position to release platform details just yet, I can say with certainty that we’re taking action to deliver healthcare that supports people with Alzheimer’s,” Ford said.
“We’re training and hiring more doctors, nurses, home care workers and other healthcare workers than ever before, and we’re committed to connecting people to the healthcare they need. According to Doctors of BC, in Whistler, 10,000 patients have a family doctor—up from roughly 6,000 a year ago, thanks to the Whistler 360 Health Collaborative, which has brought on new family doctors thanks to our new family doctor payment model,” she continued.
“We’ve also made important progress in long-term care. Since 2017, we’ve opened over 1,000 new long-term care beds and announced 25 new and expanded long-term care homes, with many more to come. We also opened Canada’s first publicly funded Dementia Village. Close to home, we've made a $286 million investment in a new long-term care home in Squamish, Hilltop House, which will add 58 new long-term care beds and four hospice beds, and include a 37 space child care facility on-site,” she added.
“And we’re committed to supporting seniors to live at home for as long as possible. In the most recent budget, the BC NDP committed $354 million for both community-based seniors’ services and home health services, to support more seniors to live safely in their own homes longer. This includes $227 million to improve the quality of home health services for seniors by adding more healthcare workers to the workforce.
“John Rustad’s Conservatives plan to cut $4.1 billion from the healthcare budget. This would hurt us all, but people with conditions that require frequent or ongoing treatment would be especially hard-hit.
“In communities like ours, outside large urban centres, we know the risk of cuts and closures better than most. The best and most dignified care is care close to home. As a city councillor, I’ve fought for a better life for my constituents. And I’ll fight just as hard as your MLA. That is my commitment to you.
“Now is the time to hire doctors and nurses, and build out our infrastructure. There’s a plan in place, and we’re starting to see good results. We know that there is much more work to do. And we won’t stop until the job is done."
People can already vote at their nearest district electoral offices.
