Reports

In this report, Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie released the results of a province-wide review of COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care and assisted living sites during the first year of the pandemic. The review examined factors that can influence the probability that a site will experience a COVID-19 outbreak and factors that can minimize the number … Read More

In this report, Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie shares findings of a five-week survey about the impact of COVID-19 related visitor restrictions at long-term care and assisted living homes. The survey, answered by residents, their family members and the general public, had over 13,000 valid responses.Learn more about survey participant responses and the Seniors Advocate’s recommendations … Read More

A Billion Reasons to Care is the first provincial review of the $1.4 billion-dollar contracted long-term care sector in British Columbia. The review examined industry contracts, annual audited financial statements and detailed reporting on revenue and expenditures for the years 2016/17 and 2017/18. Report Highlights The review found: financial reporting systems were inconsistent between health authorities … Read More

British Columbia’s home support program is unaffordable for most seniors, offers too little service for high-need clients and has created a workforce where 75 per cent of staff are casual or part-time, says B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie. In a comprehensive report released today titled Home Support…We Can Do Better, Mackenzie examines the health care … Read More

Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie today released Seniors at Home and in Long-Term Care – A 2017/18 Snapshot. The report highlights the latest health data for B.C. residents receiving home care and living in long-term care facilities.“These data, released annually by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) are invaluable in telling us about the health … Read More

Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie today released From Residential Care to Hospital: An Emerging Pattern. The report compares hospitalization rates for residents of contracted long term care facilities (both not-for-profits and private companies) with residents of publicly operated care facilities.“After careful review of multi-year data, a consistent pattern emerges that shows a demonstrably greater use of … Read More

Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie today released Seniors Transportation: Affordable, Appropriate and Available. The report, which reflects over a year of consultation and research, concludes that changes are required to address some of the existing transportation systems and a new program will be required to fill some of the gaps. The report highlights that getting a … Read More

Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie today released results of the Office of the Seniors Advocate’s landmark survey of people living in B.C.’s residential care facilities. This is the most extensive survey of its kind ever conducted in Canada, targeting over 22,000 individuals in 292 residential care facilities. “This project was a monumental undertaking and I am … Read More

Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie released an update report today confirming that caregiver distress is rising in B.C. while supports and services are not keeping pace with growing need.The report, Caregivers in Distress: A Growing Problem, is an update to a 2015 report that indicated 29% of unpaid caregivers are experiencing symptoms of distress such as … Read More

BC’s Seniors Advocate released results of a province-wide survey of almost 7,500 HandyDART users in the province today. The survey highlights that while 91% of users are satisfied with the service when they receive it, almost 1/3 of respondents say it is not meeting, or only moderately meeting, their transportation needs. Highlights from the survey … Read More