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Home Care Assistance – Toronto/York Region (www.HomeCareAssistance-Toronto.com), the leading provider of non-medical, in-home senior care in the Greater Toronto Area, is weighing in on a report stating that home care in British Columbia has reached a breaking point, as there has been no increase in available home care services despite the larger senior population.A new report from the BC Health Coalition is showing that despite a 40% increase in the amount of seniors over 65 and an almost 50% increase in seniors older than 80 over the last 12 years alone, British Columbia is still caring for roughly the same number of seniors it did in 2013–2014. (Source: “Seniors’ home care support in B.C. at breaking point says new report,” CBC web site, June 3, 2015; http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/seniors-home-care-support-in-b-c-at-breaking-point-says-new-report-1.3098796.)
“The problem has clearly reached a climax, according to those figures,” says Brian Shevel, president of Home Care Assistance – Toronto/York Region. “With the population aging that quickly over the last dozen years and still no real increase in home care availability, it’s cause to wonder what measures can be taken immediately to fix this problem.”
According to Marcy Cohen, co-author of the report, people are looking to the government to provide the leadership and funds needed to expand home care and manage what is quickly becoming an urgent matter.
“The fact is that these seniors need help now. They don’t have time to wait for the government or anyone else to make up their minds on how to move forward with this situation,” Shevel explains. “All people want are solutions, and the quicker those solutions are determined, the sooner they can be implemented to prevent BC seniors from having to be in facilities where they don’t feel comfortable.”
The BC government spent $2.8 billion last year, up 79% from 2001. Shevel notes that while it is a significant increase, it seems that more than money will be needed to aggressively address this issue and make changes moving into the next few years.
“As great a job as Home Care Assistance – Toronto/York Region does caring for the seniors in the communities we serve, it’s going to take a lot more than just companies like us,” Shevel concludes. “The entire medical industry needs to work together and discover what can be done in the short term to help seniors who need it now, as well as in the long term so caregivers are better prepared to manage should these circumstances present themselves in the future.”
For more information on how Home Care Assistance – Toronto/York region can serve seniors in the Toronto/York area, visit www.HomeCareAssistance-Toronto.com.
Contact Info:
Name: Brian Shevel
Email: Send Email
Organization: Home Care Assistance - Toronto
Address: 3300 Rutherford Rd., Unit A6 Highlands Farm Center Vaughan, Ontario L4K 5Z2
Phone: 416-822-0204
Website: http://homecareassistance-toronto.com/
Release ID: 84308