Dramatic changes to continuing care system on the horizon

Residents of continuing care facilities across Alberta may experience quality of life changes over the course of the next several months.

Minister of Health Tyler Shandro announced a total of 42 recommendations have been put forward to improve quality of life at facility-based continuing care with a goal of “modernizing and transforming” the system.

The recommendations come following a review of the current system, which began at the end of 2019. 

According to Richard Gotfried, MLA for Calgary-Fish Creek and chair of the review panel, over 7,000 Albertans responded to the review and provided feedback about the current system.

“The recommendations in this unusually forward report will be transformative for Alberta’s facility-based continuing care system and importantly for the care of older Albertans who need designated supportive living and long-term care,” he said in a statement.

“Not only will it set a new bar in Canada, it will go a very long way to eliminating the fear that many of us have of one day needing care ourselves.”

Facilities such as Wheatland Lodge, Meadowlark Care Home and AgeCare Sagewood in Strathmore are all licensed by the Alberta government as supportive living facilities. 

Meadowlark and Wheatland Lodge, however, are privately owned and operated facilities that are not contracted with the Alberta government, do not fall under the “continuing care” spectrum and will not be affected by the recommendations or any changes.

Shandro said in a statement the recommendations put forward in the 217-page final report suggest methods to make continuing care better and safer within the province.

“We’ll now move forward with an action plan, including new continuing care legislation, to strengthen and modernize our continuing care system.”

A point Shandro wished to highlight is the expectation for the updated continuing care system to have learned from the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and phase-out ward rooms within facilities. 

Instead, the intended replacement is for rooms to be completely private to individuals or couples. Further, starting July 1, 2021, continuing care facilities will no longer admit residents into shared rooms that already house two residents.

The report also projects an estimated increase in demand for continuing care services by 62 per cent by 2030.

As of September 2020, Strathmore was listed as one of 31 Alberta communities most in need of continuing care spaces. The criteria for being listed included health-care utilization, current and projected supply and demand, and local demographics.

Shandro added he intends to implement 21 of the 42 recommendations within the next several months and return with an action plan to follow up with the remaining recommendations in the fall.

(With files from Sean Feagan, Strathmore Times)