Senior Citizens’ Association of BC Houston May 5th, 2017 www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca 1-877-952-3181

Legislative Mandate & Scope Monitors the provision of seniors’ services Analyzes systemic issues Provides information and referral to seniors and their family members Reports to Minister and to the public on issues affecting seniors, and provides recommendations to the Minister and other service providers 5 mandated areas Health care Housing Income support Personal Support Transportation Establish standardized measurements for key services to seniors Provide better, more co-ordinated information for seniors and their families to navigate the network of services and supports Achieve 100% awareness of all services and supports available to seniors in B.C. Ensure the basic needs of seniors, with a particular emphasis on low-income seniors, are met Ensure the system is hearing and respecting the wishes of seniors

Who are seniors and what do they want? Easy question to ask, difficult to answer

Seniors not all the same “Jane” “Anne”

Seniors not all the same “Jane” “Anne”

Stereotypes of seniors

Some Common Perceptions of Seniors Burden to society - a problem that needs to be solved Overrunning emergency departments All going to end up in nursing homes The “problem” dominating health care system Silver Tsunami Financially secure Homogeneous

B.C. Seniors - Reality 850,000 seniors in B.C. (18% of population), projected to grow to 24% by 2031 Indicators Over 65 Over 85 Median income $26,800 $24,600 Senior homeowners household income 24% <$30,000 Senior renters household income 35% <$20,000 % Living Independently 93% 74% % Living in Residential Care 4% 15% % that Use Publicly Subsidized Home Support 13% Use of Emergency Department 22% Average Life Expectancy 21.6 7.1 % Living in Urban Areas 65% % of Seniors with Active Driver’s Licences 76% 34% % that Live Alone 26% 46% % that are Employed 26% (65-69) 7% (70+) % that Volunteer 40% (65-74) avg. 235 hrs per year 31% (75+) avg. 198 hrs per year % of Seniors Living Without a Diagnosis of Dementia 94% 80% % Living Independently – 2016 Monitoring Report % Living in Residential Care – Monitoring Report % of seniors that live alone – 2016 monitoring report % of seniors using publicly subsidized home support. Katherine’s data for monitoring report % of Seniors with Active Driver’s Licences – BCIT numbers using population of seniors in 2014 – 34% of seniors over 85 have drivers licences % that Volunteer - http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2012001/t/11638/tbl02-eng.htm#4 – Giving, Volunteering and Participating survey Emergency Department Use - CIHI % the are Employed –BC - Table 282-0002 – Labour Force Survey Estimates by sex and detailed age group % without a diagnosis of dementia –Monitoring report

BC Seniors – Living Longer BC Life expectancy - 83 years Canada – 82.2 U.S – 79.3 Sweden – 81.7 U.K. – 81.2

What We’ve Heard Seniors concerned they may not be able to live where they want Fixed and diminishing incomes Poor transportation alternatives Inconsistent home care services Reduced access to residential care beds Caregiver burnout Devaluation of seniors by an ageist society Seniors lack respect to make decisions Fragmented care system overall

Targeted Issues To Date - Housing Access to affordable housing for low income seniors Rents ↑34% since 2005/ rents subsidy ↑ by only 9% Subsidized Housing – long wait lists, more units needed particularly in rural/remote areas Use of Property tax deferment ↑ Home owners need new mechanisms to leverage home equity

Targeted Issues to Date - Caregivers 97% of home support clients have an unpaid caregiver 53% of home support clients fit the clinical profile of a residential care client 29% of caregivers are in distress, one of the highest rates in Canada Rate of distress increases to 38% for those caring for the more complex

Targeted Issues to Date – Residential Care Care staffing 91% of facilities not meeting provincial guidelines $500 m announcement will ensure standardized benchmark, means 3 million more care hours per year Drug use 26% taking antipsychotics without a diagnosis, dropping, but still one of highest rates in Canada 48% taking antidepressants Resident to resident aggression Quality indicators being measured may not reflect experience of residents – OSA survey of 27,000 of residents will capture what they see is working/gaps in care

Targeted Issues To Date – Home Support Availability of adequate levels of home support 60% of clients receive one hour or less per day Increase in clients, but decrease in hours per client Variation between health authorities Not enough flexibility 20% say too many regular workers & 28% say too many substitute workers System too rigid in what it delivers Clients want ability to choose service required Cost a barrier for some seniors

Targeted Issues To Date – Transportation OSA HandyDART survey of 7,500 HandyDART users 91% satisfied with service, yet nearly 1/3 say it does not or only moderately meets transportation needs wait times and length of ride times an issue – only 46% always picked up within 30-minute window cost an issue for some seniors – 53% of users have income of less than $20,000 Encouraging municipalities to ensure senior pedestrians are safe – decreased speed limits, road/intersection design/visibility Full systemic review of transportation issues underway

Key OSA Resources : Monitoring Report Brings information/trends about seniors’ services together in one place – shows where we are doing well and where improvements are needed Comparisons year over year in key service areas: health care, housing, transportation, income and personal supports Highlights from last year: Residential care wait times ↑ Wait times for subsidized housing ↓slightly Number of seniors with driver’s licences ↑ Max payment for CPP ↑3% Monitoring report available on our website: www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca

Key OSA Resources: Quick Facts Directory Lists information for 292 publicly subsidized facilities in British Columbia  Designed to be a starting point to find reliable data on residential care facilities in the province Information includes bed counts, food Licensing inspections, complaints, languages, care quality indicators, funded care hours etc. Available online @ www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca

Progress to Date CCALA Changes Some↓ in antipsychotic use Additional $500 m committed to increased home support and care hours in facilities Regulatory change allowing more seniors to stay in Assisted Living longer ↓ in antipsychotic use (more progress needed) ↑ in recreational therapy (more progress needed) Increased eligibility for, and awareness of, MSP Premium Assistance Working group on Resident-to-Resident Aggression Health Authority working on reducing inappropriate residential placement Discussing SAFER changes CCALA Changes Some↓ in antipsychotic use Expanded income brackets and awareness on MSP and Premium Assistance Working group on Resident-to-Resident Aggression Health Authority residential placement process Discussing SAFER 18

Work Ahead Home Support review Residential care survey report and review Transportation review Abuse and neglect of seniors initiative to improve tracking and collection of data Hospital Discharge and Emergency Department report

Contact www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca Toll-free: 1-877-952-3181 In Victoria: 250-952-3181 Open Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm Translation services available in more than 180 languages. info@seniorsadvocatebc.ca facebook.com/SeniorsAdvocateBC @SrsAdvocateBC