bc care providers newsletter fall/winter 12/13

13 New Fraser HealtH loNg term Care Beds

a newsletter for long term care providers and home support agencies in BC

to BeCome a memBer

aNd learN more, visit

www.bccare.caadvocating service excellence for seniors

Care QuarterlyBC Care Providers ASSOCIATION

Fall winter 12/13

4 seNior’s advoCate UPdate

British Columbia health care assistants and lPNs work hard to care for the ageing members of our community and they have earned our thanks. that is the key message of a new on-line Thank You initiative (www.bccares.ca) that was launched in association with the Province of British Columbia’s Community Health worker recognition day october 18th.

Both initiatives were recommendations from a report on recruitment and retention challenges facing the seniors care sector released last year by the BC Care Providers association’s seniors Care Human resource sector Committee with funding support from a Canada-BC labour market Partnership.

On-Line Thank You Campaign Recognizes Contribution of Care Aides

136 BCCPa Ceo retires

tHaNk YoU CamPaigN For Care aides

Home support workers from contracted agencies across the BC Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island gathered in Burnaby for a Home Support Summit in October with employers, government officials and union leaders to recognize the valuable contribution of care aides, discuss labour challenges facing the

sector and solutions to address them. (See special feature page 7-12)

Care Providers Meet Ministers to

Review Action Plan

Special Feature: BC Home Support Summit

in october, the BC Care Providers association (BCCPa) presented an updated seniors Care action Plan to British Columbia’s Health minister, minister of seniors, opposition Critics and mlas from all parties.

Putting Seniors First includes a series of recommendations that reflect the views of residential care, home support and assisted living care providers in all regions of the province. the goal of the plan is to improve the quality, efficiency and sustainability of our seniors care system.

since the action Plan was submitted this fall, BCCPa representatives have met with both ministers and a group of opposition mlas to review the recommendations and discuss next steps.

BCCPa’s discussion with the minister of Health, Hon. margaret macdiarmid was focused on five of the action Plan’s proposals and the minister of state, Hon. ralph sultan met with the BCCPa Board of directors in November.

(continued on page 5 and 15)

among other things, the campaign features prominent British Columbians, long-time care aides and family members of seniors in care thanking healthcare assistants and home support workers for their skill and dedication.

(continued on page 4)

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dear members,

at this time of year we look back at 2012 as a year where seniors care issues gained more prominence than ever before - and we look ahead to 2013 as a year of uncertainty with spring’s provincial election and the rising tide of demand associated with the ageing of our society. in this edition of the Care Quarterly, we capture both.

more than ever, we will need our association to speak with a strong, united and principled voice in the coming year to advance seniors care issues in British Columbia.

our association concluded 2012 with a renewed seniors care action Plan and an increase in advocacy activities with government and opposition mlas. we start 2013 preparing for the establishment of BC’s first seniors advocate and long term care safety association.

as we look forward to 2013, our emphasis on expanded access to home support services will grow. in this edition, we recap the results of our first ever home support summit which took place in october and a new on-line thank You campaign to recognize the skill and dedication of front-line workers.

we are also paying tribute to our outgoing Chief executive officer ed Helfrich in this edition of the Care Quarterly. in the fall, ed confirmed his plans to retire after more than 20 years with our association. while our Board and membership are very sad to see ed leave, we are all happy that he and his family will now have an opportunity to travel and spend more time together. we are introducing our new Ceo in this edition.

as always, if you have any questions about any of the reports in this edition or would like to send in story ideas, contact us anytime at [email protected]. Happy New Year!

Yours truly,

mary mcdougall, President



From Front Page…

the on-line thank You campaign was launched in october at a special Home support summit attended by over 150 care aides, employers, government officials, mlas and union leaders. it will run into the New Year.

the thank You campaign has been developed through an unprecedented collaboration between the BC Care Providers association (BCCPa), Hospital employees Union, BC government employees Union and Province of British Columbia.

BCCPa vice-President david Chepardak said, “it has been a pleasure for us to work with our government partners and health care unions on this project. together we are developing a broad range of strategies to address growing recruitment and retention challenges in BC’s seniors care sector.”

in addition to the Home support summit and provincial day of recognition, the online thank You campaign includes:

• project web-site where members of the public can send thank you messages (www.bccares.ca)

• Thank You videos from some well-known community leaders and seniors care workers telling their stories

• twitter streams

• poster campaign

• local recognition events

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Care Quarterly is published four times a year by the BC Care Providers association.

Thank You Campaign Celebrates Skill and Dedication of Seniors Care Aides

For more on Thank You campaign contact www.bccares.ca

“In addition to celebrating the skill and dedication of front-line staff, we are working to develop more responsive scheduling practices, mentorship programs and ongoing training opportunities.”

– David Chepardak Vice President BC Care Providers Association


From the Front Page...

the five action Plan items that were the focus of discussions with the Health minister were:

• need to correct historic funding inequities between government operated seniors care facilities and well-established contracted non-profit and private providers - as described by the BC ombudsperson

• establishing a dedicated funding mechanism for home support and residential care as part of future health budgets

• application of Health Ministry’s patient-focused funding model to speed up the movement of frail seniors from acute care hospitals to community care

• need to improve safety for residents and staff through the creation of a new seniors advocate and modifications to the BC Care aide registry

• opportunity to invite established non-profit and privately-owned care providers to cost-share the construction of new residential care facilities through a fair and open public tendering process

Following seniors minister ralph sultan’s meeting in November with the Board of directors, BCCPa director ron Pike said, “the discussion was a positive opportunity to let the government know we are committed to offering constructive solutions to the challenges facing our seniors care system. we appreciate the accessibility of both ministers and look forward to following through with them on our proposals in the coming weeks and months.”

in addition to meeting with government officials this Fall, BC Care Providers association (BCCPa) officials met with the opposition Health critic mike Farnsworth and seniors Critic katrine Conroy. Both are very knowledgeable of the issues and expressed a sincere interest on behalf of opposition leader adrian dix to work with seniors care providers on the issues identified in BCCPa’s 2012 action Plan.

BCCPa President mary mcdougall attended the vancouver meeting in late-November and said, “improving the quality of seniors care in British Columbia is an issue that crosses party lines. we were very encouraged by the commitment of the opposition critics to work collaboratively together in the future.”


Ministers of Health and Seniors Listen to Care Providers

BCCPA Officials Meet Opposition Critics to Review Seniors Care Action Plan

Opposition Seniors Critic Katrine Conroy speaks to delegates attending the May 2012 BC Care Providers Association Annual General Meeting

in Whistler.

welcome to New members!Community Care:

Greater Vancouver Community Services Society (vancouver)Contact: ron mcleodt: 604 737 [email protected]

residential:

Glacier View Lodge (Courtenay)Contact: werner Paulst: 250 338 [email protected]

Sidney All Care Residencesidney, BCContact: Blake mooneyt: 778 351 [email protected]

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Maxwell Management Group Ltd (Brantford, oN)Contact: Heather maxwellt: 1 855 305 [email protected]

BCCPA officials met with BC’s new Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid in October to discuss

recommendations in the Association’s Putting Seniors First Action Plan (see letter to Minister on p15)

BC Minister for Seniors Ralph Sultan meets with BCCPA’s Board of Directors in November.


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Outgoing BCCPA CEO Ed Helfrich speaking at the Association’s 35th annual Conference in Whistler (May 2012)

“I want to thank all the many individuals who have helped and supported me over the years and wish everyone continued success. I know I will miss you all!” – outgoing BCCPA CEO Ed Helfrich


BC Care Providers Association CEO Retiring After 20+ Years of Service to Seniors Care

it was with much sadness that the BC Care Providers association announced the retirement of Ceo ed Helfrich this fall after more than 20 years of service to seniors care. BCCPa President mary mcdougall said, “ed will be greatly missed but we wish him all the best in retirement with his family. through his hard work and dedication over the past three decades, ed has made a real difference in improving the lives of seniors in care across the province.” a new BCCPa Ceo will be confirmed in January.

looking ahead to the New Year, ed said, “it was with mixed emotion that i made the decision to step down, but i’m looking forward to entering a new chapter of my life – exploring some of the exotic locales throughout the world as well as improving my golf handicap.”

He added, “it was a privilege working with the Board and all the members of the association for the past 20 plus years. the association has gone through significant changes and challenges over that time, but with their continued support and efforts we have been able to significantly expand and improve the services available to seniors throughout the province.”

ed concluded, “we can be proud that our association is one of the few health associations that has withstood and survived all the changes in service delivery and continued to represent and advocate on behalf of home and community care providers.”

See page 13 for information on the new BCCPA CEO


SPECiAL FEATuRE: HOme SuppOrT SummIT

Special Feature: Home Support Summit

2012 BC Home Support Summit

A Day in the Life of Community Health Workers

October 16, 2012 | Hilton Vancouver Metrotown

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in october, British Columbia’s largest seniors home support, employers, front-line workers, union leaders, government officials and educators participated in a special one-day Home support summit in Burnaby, BC.

among other things the summit focused on a “day-in-the-life” of a home support worker and recruitment/retention challenges the sector is facing as our society ages.

the summit was hosted by the BC Care Providers association (BCCPa) as part of the Canada/BC labour market Partnership for the seniors care sector.

this special feature provides a recap of the event. For more information about the summit and the seniors care labour market partnership, contact www.bccares.ca.


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The October Home Support Summit in Burnaby included guest speakers, a panel with home support workers, a lunch address from BC’s Ombudsperson, thank you greetings from MLAs, an emphasis on safety and an open forum where community health workers provided their own perspectives and ideas.

a special province-wide “thank You” campaign was also previewed at the summit to mark BC’s Community Health worker awareness day of appreciation. the campaign recognizes the skill and dedication of seniors care aides in BC’s home support and long term care sector (see p4).

Home Support Agenda October 16, 2012 – Burnaby, BC

9:30am opening remarks – dr. art Hister

9:45am Panel discussion – a day in the life of a Community Health worker

· Judy wendover, Beacon Community services

· mona morgan, Fraser Health authority

· karen reeves-mitchell, revera

· Jacquie Baker, we Care Home Health services

· mary ann marin, st. elizabeth

10:45am Preview of thank You appreciation Campaign

11:00am speaker: life and death matters – kath murray

11:45am keynote address – kim Carter, BC ombudsperson

1:30pm thank You greetings from mlas - katrine Conroy, Colin Hansen

1:45pm Presentation: safety in the Home – work safe BC, Beacon Community services, BC Care aide registry

2:45pm Panel: innovations in Home support – we Care Home services, st. elizabeth, Bayshore Home Health

3:40pm open Floor discussion

4:30pm Concluding remarks – ed Helfrich, Ceo BC Care Providers association

BC Ombudsperson Kim Carter addresses the BCCPA Home Support Summit and answers questions about her February 2012 report on seniors care. See page 9 for a recap of her presentation.

Well-known media commentator Dr. Art Hister opened the Home Support Summit with a morning address and then moderated a panel with home support providers.



BC ombudsperson kim Carter provided a factual presentation on the most recent investigation into home and community care of services provided to seniors. one of the critical issues noted was the real differences that exist between acute care and home and community care. ms. Carter emphasized a number of key issues in her address, including:

• Tracking information and where funds spent

• Establishing timelines for assessments

• Developing an active information program

• Public reporting

• Providing advocacy and support

• Standard training, registration requirements for community health workers

• Reporting abuse and neglect

the ombudsperson then spoke of the priority recommendations and noted that the ministry of Health continues to investigate the recommendations made in her 2012 report. Here are some of the recommendations she focused on:

Facilitated by dr. art Hister, a panel of Community Health workers shared their personal experiences from how they began their journey to what they love about their jobs and what a day in the life of a home support worker is really like. Here is a summary of the discussion:

• Community Health Workers start their days not knowing where they will be going and who they will be caring for. each day is different due to the changing needs of clients.

• The work, while rewarding, is isolating and can be challenging when the care aide is not always kept in the loop with respect to details on the clients’ background, needs and care plan.

• Workers often have to make several attempts to be heard when they feel clients may need more or different care or when homes may not be safe, for the client and/or the worker.

• Community Health Workers enjoy the interaction with clients and helping them to maintain their dignity as they maintain their independence.

• Workers spoke of the need to gain the respect and trust of clients and shared some of the ways they do this, including developing a professional yet special bond with clients.

• Community Health Workers spoke of the challenges associated with differences that exist between client and family expectations, as well as not being viewed as a valued member of the care team.

watch a video of the panel discussion at www.bccares.ca.

BC Ombudsperson Highlights Home Support Elements of Groundbreaking Report

Home Support Summit Photo Gallery

Home Support Workers Discuss

Seniors Care Challenges and

Solutions


MLA Colin Hansen brings thank you greetings to home support workers on behalf of BC’s Minister of Health.

MLA Katrine Conroy thanks care aides for their skill and dedication on behalf of the Health Critic and Opposition Leader.

Beacon Community Services CEO Isobel MacKenzie talks about improving staff safety in home support environments.

Seniors care workers discuss ideas about how to make scheduling more responsive to changing needs of seniors and busy lives of care aides.

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• Establish timeframe within which seniors are to receive support services after an assessment.

• Track time it takes for seniors to receive home support services and report out annually an average and maximum wait times.

• Establish consistent, adequate province-wide time allotments for home support activities.

• Ensure the principle of continuity of service is included in all health authority policies and performance measures.

• Establish clear, specific, enforceable quality of care standards for home support services and implement clear, consistent monitoring and enforcement processes.

• Analyze whether the current home support program is meeting its goal of assisting seniors to live in their own homes as long as it is practical and in their families’ best interests - and make any necessary changes

• Evaluate home support eligibility criteria to ensure that they are consistent with program goals and make any necessary changes.



“Thank you to the home care providers who looked after my grandmother in her time of great need. You were always there for her. My family is so grateful for your care and attention.”

- Carly P, Vancouver

“My mother has Parkinson’s; while she lived in Lillooet her mobility deteriorated. BC Seniors Care workers in Lillooet took care of her, with dignity and respect, and were able to get her into a care facility closer to me in the Lower Mainland (Coquitlam). The BC Seniors Care workers at her facility in Coquitlam are amazing. To the BC Seniors Care workers in Lillooet and Coquitlam, thank-you so much! Mom and I are so lucky to have you!”

- Tara Weiszbeck, Lillooet & Coquitlam

“You have not just amazing skills, but you have amazing hearts. That’s what we really appreciate, because you go far beyond the day-to-day work of what your job requires, and you care. That is so vital to our seniors in this province, and we just want to say thank you.”

- Marvin Hunt, Councillor, City of Surrey

“My Grandmother was in a care facility for 4 years. She loved it, especially after spending so many years by herself. She got the care and companionship she desperately needed. Thank You so much for everything

- Aaron MacDonald, Vancouver


“BC Seniors’ Care workers are our front line workers in health care. Thank you for working with your “Hearts and Hands” for our elderly in British Columbia. Thank you for your skills and dedication to this honorable career.”

- Jag Tak, Practice Education Faculty and Student Manager,

Stenberg College, Surrey

“Thanks for doing this campaign. These workers are fantastic. My grandmother is receiving care in a long term care facility and while she was resistant at first it has added to her life. She loves the health care workers that help her every day.”

- Kevin H, Vancouver

“My grandfather (who had always been fiercely independent) required help with some of his basic needs near the end of his life. He was treated with the utmost respect and never felt he lost his dignity. He could be a hard man to please so I know for him to speak with such praise of his home support workers that they were doing an excellent job, going above and beyond what was expected of them. Thank you!”

- Linda R, Vancouver

“I have been a resident of Elim Village for 11 years now. During those 11 years, I have care workers come every day, three times a day, to help me maintain my life. Without them, I would not be able to live independently, and I am very thankful for the service they provide me.”

- Terri-Anne Bergen, Surrey

“I just think it’s really important to send a message of thank you, just saying thank you for your dedication, your skills, your compassion in helping BC seniors live their best lives possible.”

- Nira Arora, The Beat 94.5, Vancouver

“Our Mother had Alzheimer’s and lived in a residential care home in the Lower Mainland for the past 3 years until her death at the age of 83. While she was really scared when she first entered the home, it was the loving care and support of one particular care aide – Martha – who made her feel that she was in her real home every day. This level of care made all the difference to our Mother’s life. Our family sincerely thanks Martha and all other care aides and LPN’s who work tirelessly to provide the ‘comforts of home’ to our mothers and fathers.”

- Sharon H, Victoria

“I’m the son of a father who died of dementia, and I know the difference the care, skill and dedication that the health care workers made in my father’s care in the last few months of his life…so from me, a really heartfelt thank you to all the health care workers out there who provide that kind of service.”

- Dr. Art Hister, Vancouver

Thanking Care Aides and Community Health Workers

One of the key themes of October’s day-long Home Support Summit in Burnaby was thanking care aides for the important work they do for seniors and their families every day.

An on-line social media Thank You campaign was previewed at the Summit which includes an opportunity for members of the public to post comments at www.bccares.ca about a care aide they

know that is providing quality care to a senior they know.


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in the weeks following the Home Support Summit, BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) met with BC Ministers of Health and Seniors – in addition to the Opposition health critics – to present an updated seniors care Action Plan.

Putting Seniors First will improve the quality of seniors care in BC and respond to many recommendations in the ombudsperson’s 2012 report.

BCCPa’s updated action Plan includes a significantly increased emphasis on expanding access to quality home support services.

the Plan identifies four specific opportunities:

1) Home Support instead of Hospital Beds for Seniors:

allocate some of the resources remaining in the $200 million+ patient-focused funding program to speed up the movement of frail seniors from hospital beds by securing additional community home support services. this policy can be introduced in association with the establishment of a 30-day acute care wait-limit for seniors.

2) Dedicated Funding and Collective Bargaining:

the ministry of Health should establish a dedicated funding mechanism for community care and ensure care providers receive mitigation for new collective bargaining commitments and inflationary pressures.

3) innovation:

the ministry of Health has made a commitment to pilot innovative approaches to home support services that provide greater choice and flexibility for seniors and their families. the ministry of Health should consider a proposal from BCCPa that recognized home support as a preventative early intervention program and includes care aides providing more preventative services to increase independence, efficiency and continuity of care.

4) Public Education and Awareness:

in partnership with care providers and in association with the introduction of a new seniors advocate in 2013, a public awareness campaign should be developed to:



Action Plan includes Emphasis on Home Support Solutions

New Collective

Agreement Ratified by

Health Care Workers

in late december, health care workers from 11 British Columbia unions voted in favour of a proposed two-year contract. more than 90 per cent of workers supported the new deal. the agreement covers union workers in pharmacies, X-ray departments, trades and maintenance staff and administrative employees in hospitals, long-term care facilities and health authority offices. the contract covers over 45,000 workers, delivers a 3 per cent wage increase and ensures a moratorium on layoffs due to contracting out until the agreement expires in 2014.

BC Health minister margaret macdiarmid said, “i applaud the parties for their hard work in reaching an agreement that meets the needs of a very diverse group of employees and ensures patient services are protected. this agreement now means that the vast majority of health unions have reached agreements and shows that with both parties working together, it’s possible to reach deals.”

BC government employees Union treasurer stephanie smith said, “we’re satisfied that we were able to reach a fair and reasonable contract that meets the needs of all members covered by the facilities subsector.”

o respond to recommendations of ombudsperson’s report

o inform families of questions to ask and how to access services

o sets realistic expectations

o Promotes responsible care providers and the quality of care aides

o establishes realistic wait times between assessment and placement

o Publicize changing utilization patterns, cost of services and all funding levels for health authority operated services

Fall 2012

2012-2013 BCCPA Action Plan

Putting Seniors FirstIntroduction .............................................. p.3

Funding ....................................................... p.4

Advocay and Awareness ......................... p.6

Ongoing Collaboration ........................... p.8

Home Support.......................................... p.8

Summary of Recommendations ........... p.9

Download a copy of BCCPA’s Action Plan at www.bccare.ca


Seniors Advocate Legislation Promised

for New Yearaccording to a december report in the Province Newspaper, BC seniors minister ralph sultan says new legislation defining the mandate and powers of a new B.C. seniors’ advocate is being written for introduction in victoria this spring.

New BCCPA CEOwith the retirement of long-time Ceo ed Helfrich, the BC Care Providers association Board of directors initiated an extensive executive search for his replacement. there was significant interest in the opportunity and all applicants recognized BCCPa as a seniors care leader in our province. Following an exhaustive interview process, BCCPa announced that mr. daniel Fontaine will be the organization’s new Chief executive officer.

daniel comes to BCCPa after serving four years as Chief Public affairs officer at mitacs, a national not-for-profit research organization based in British Columbia that has been promoting academic-industrial research and development of future innovation leaders. Founded in 1999 as a Canadian Network of Centres of excellence, mitacs collaborates with numerous provincial, federal and international government agencies and departments. it has published 2,000 academic research papers and includes 2,000 faculty and 3,500 graduate students at 57 research universities across Canada.

Prior to joining mitacs, daniel served in senior positions with provincial and municipal governments in British Columbia. BCCPa President mary mcdougall said, “we are very excited to have daniel joining our team and i know he is looking forward to meeting with our members in the coming year. daniel’s experience with government relations and public affairs will serve the cause of improved seniors care well in coming years.”

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New Fraser Health Long Term Care

Beds Comingone of the priorities identified by the BC Care Providers association (BCCPa) in the 2012 seniors Care action Plan they presented to the minister of Health in october was an invitation from established non-profit and privately-owned care providers to the provincial government to cost-share the construction of new residential care facilities through a fair and open public tendering process.

some progress is already being made. in November, the Fraser Health authority announced it is seeking partners to construct more than 400 new residential complex care and mental health beds in surrey, the tri Cities and white rock by the end of 2015.

tri Cities is expected to receive over 200 new beds. the rest will be shared between the south surrey/white rock are and north of 40th avenue in surrey.

speaking to the Surrey North Delta Leader’s Jeff Nagel, tasleem Juma of the Fraser Health authority said the decision reflects growth patterns in the region.

ms. Juma said Fraser Health needs to add more beds in the community so those patients don’t add to acute care congestion in hospitals. according to her, the new beds will likely require $25-$30 million in annual funding once they are open.

“The legislation is being drafted as we speak. There is no doubt in my mind the legislation will be introduced in the spring session, and passed.”

– BC Seniors Minister Ralph Sultan Province Newspaper December 2012

BCCPa Ceo ed Helfrich welcomed the decision in an interview with the Leader. He said, “Certainly Fraser has the aging population and population growth to justify the need for additional beds.” mr. Helfrich said a number of existing providers are likely in position to expand onto adjacent property and will likely respond to the call for pre-qualifications before the November 30, 2012 deadline for submissions.

in their 2012 seniors Care action Plan update, the BC Care Providers association made a number of recommendations related to the potential role of the new seniors advocate.

among other things, BCCPa suggested the new seniors advocate should:

• Recognize care providers as seniors advocates

• Promote public awareness focused on helping families navigate the system

• Adopt a zero-tolerance approach to elder abuse with the BC Care aide registry

• Initiate systemic reviews of service delivery such as reducing the time seniors are forced to spend in the hospital and long term care funding inequities identified by the BC ombudsperson

“These three communities - the Tri Cities, Surrey and White Rock - have been identified as communities experiencing rapid population growth, especially in the number of seniors.”

– Tasleem Juma, Fraser Health Surrey North Delta Leader November 2012



Province Newspaper Wins Journalism Award for Seniors Care

Featurein october, the Province Newspaper was presented with the Jack webster award for reporting excellence with their Boomerangst series of stories on the state of seniors care in British Columbia.

the ongoing series provided a comprehensive examination of challenges facing home support and long term care seniors care sector.

the Province series also included an emphasis on promoting positive ideas to address these challenges – particularly in the wake of the 2011 Census results which have painted the clearest picture yet of the demographic realities associated with the ageing of our society.

Health Care Benefit Trust

updatethe Care Quarterly has been publishing regular updates on the problems care providers have been experiencing with the administration of the Healthcare Benefit trust (HBt) over the past three years – particularly as it relates to the imposition of exit fees on seniors care providers.

HBt is a non-profit health and welfare trust that administers group benefits of behalf of participating employers for nearly 100,000 eligible employees, their eligible dependants and beneficiaries employed in the health care and social services in BC and the Yukon.

in the last edition of the Care Quarterly we reported on an independent consultant’s review which concluded that the HBt’s current outstanding liability will be overestimated. since then, Victoria’s Times Colonist newspaper has reported that a group of social service agencies that work with some of the province’s most vulnerable people is preparing for a legal battle with HBt and the BC government over ballooning costs.

according to a report from Times Colonist reporter lindsay kines, the social service agencies dispute the government’s claim that they are responsible for a significant deficit that has been accumulated by the HBt. these concerns are similar to those that have been expressed by seniors care providers about the HBt.

in an interview with mr. kines, HBt’s Ceo Jan grude said agencies will face legal action if they refuse to pay. He said, “it isn’t fair to be leaving disabled employees behind for somebody else to pay for and swanning about looking for better rates, while not recognizing your financial obligations.”

BC Government Responds to

Report on Anti-Psychotic Drugs

in 2011, BC’s ministry of Health released a report on the use of anti-psychotic drugs in residential care facilities. in response, the ministry has just released a new guideline for managing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in residential care.

the guideline is a two-part algorithm developed by interior Health authority’s antipsychotic drug review Committee called the Algorithm for Accommodating and Managing BPSD in Residential Care - a practical, electronic decision support tool designed to support clinical assessment and care decisions of persons with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

applied together, the guideline and algorithm will support physicians, nurses, clinicians and care staff to provide interdisciplinary, evidence-based care to those experiencing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. For more, contact www.health.gov.bc.ca.

details of the new BC guideline will be captured in a Best Practices guide the BC Care Providers association (BCCPa) is preparing for contracted long term care providers to help them reduce the use of anti-psychotic drugs in long term care.

BCCPa has received funding from work safe BC to prepare the guide which will profile a number of facilities that have successfully implemented local measures with staff to safety reduce the use of these chemical restraints. watch for updates at www.bccare.ca and the next edition of the Care Quarterly.

Seniors News (cont)

the BC Care Providers association (BCCPa) has represented non-profit, denominational and privately-owned assisted living, long term care and home support providers across the province for 35 years. BCCPa members provide publically funded complex care to over 12,000-frail seniors each day and employ more than 10,000 professional staff and health care aides. with the aging of our society, the changing demand on our seniors care system and the uncertainty associated with the upcoming provincial election, it is more important that ever to make sure care providers speak with a united voice, if you are not a member, consider joining today. Contact us at www.bccare.ca.

Join Us!

the BC Care Providers association was pleased to be invited by the Province to participate in the series and offer our recommendations.

BCCPa President mary mcdougal said, “we congratualte the Province Newspaper for receiving this award and for their decision to focus their efforts on this important issue. their series of articles was comprehensive and helped improve the public’s understanding of this complex issue.”



Letter to Minister of Health from the BC Care Providers Association

Subject - The Quality, Efficiency and Sustainability of Seniors Care in British Columbia

Hon. margaret macdiarmidminister of HealthBC legislaturevictoria, BC

dear minister,

Further to recent discussions and correspondence, we are pleased to present you with a copy of our 2012-2013 seniors Care action Plan. every two years for the past decade, our BC Care Providers association has updated our action Plan to reflect changing pressures on our seniors care system, regular feedback from our members and progress with government on the issues we have been identifying.we have enjoyed a positive working relationship with your predecessors and mlas from all parties over this period . we look forward to working with you too and have appreciated your accessibility in the past as minister of labour and minister for seniors.

Putting Seniors First includes a set of 15 recommendations. some are longer terms challenges. others are immediate opportunities. some require additional funding to reflect the growing numbers of BC seniors. others will deliver more quality care at a lower cost to taxpayers. we look forward to meeting with you in the coming weeks to discuss the plan and focus in on a few of the recommendations that represent immediate opportunities. these include:

• Achieve consistent services & standards by addressing the historic funding inequities that exist between health authority, government operated seniors care facilities and well-established contracted non-profit and private providers - as described by the BC ombudsperson

• Acknowledge cost pressures by establishing a dedicated funding mechanism for home support and residential care as part of future health budgets

• Improve quality by applying existing resources from the Ministry’s patient-focused funding program to speed up the movement of frail seniors from acute care hospitals to community care - in association with the establishment of a 30-day wait time guarantee

• Improve safety for residents and staff through modifications to the BC Care Aide Registry program and pending BC Continuing Care safety association

• Pursue best value by inviting established non-profit and privately-owned care providers to cost-share the construction of new residential care facilities through a fair and open public tendering process

in addition to discussing these priorities, we would also like to update you on previous discussions with your predecessors regarding challenges associated with the administration of the Healthcare Benefit trust which is also addressed in this action Plan.

thank you in advance for your consideration and we look forward to seeing you soon to discuss these proposals and collaborating to truly put quality of life for seniors and their families first.

Yours truly,

ed Helfrich, Ceo, BC Care Providers association

mary mcdougall, President, BC Care Providers association

November, 2012



MAY 2013

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May 5-7, 2013 Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Whistler BC

BCCPA 36th Annual Conference

Watch for info as it comes available at bccare.ca

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Thank You Ed!On behalf of the Board

of Directors and Members

of the BC Care Providers

Association, we want to

congratulate our retiring CEO

Ed Helfrich for more than

20 years of service to seniors

care in British Columbia.

Thanks Ed! We will miss you.

Ed Helfrich, retiring CEO of theBC Care Providers Association

bc care providers newsletter fall/winter 12/13

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