April 25, 2005
VANCOUVER – The NDP’s election promise to boost home care spending is a short-term, one-year plan that shortchanges seniors, said Colin Hansen, BC Liberal candidate for Vancouver-Quilchena today.
“The NDP election promise is actually less than what we have already accomplished as government, and less than what we have outlined in the BC Liberal platform,” said Hansen.
The BC Liberal Platform released today details a real plan to “improve home care services and support, and other key programs in the community sector, with an additional $100 million this year from the extra $759 million budgeted for healthcare.”
The NDP today promised an $80 million increase for home care and home support. In comparison, the BC Liberals have a real plan that works for seniors:
- $100 million more in home care and home support funding;
- 5,000 new residential care and assisted-living beds by 2008, including 1,700 under construction right now; and,
- wait times for residential care beds that have fallen from a year under the NDP to an average of 30 to 90 days today.
Hansen also noted that while the policy for home care eligibility is the same as it was under the NDP, the number of home care clients and visits has increased.
Under the BC Liberal government, there are more home care clients receiving services (up 3,500 between 2000/01 to 2003/04) and more home care visits (up 63,000 between 2000/01 to 2003/04). The BC Liberal government increased funding for home care and home support, while increasing resources for seniors by expanding services like adult day centres.
