Caring for seniors
By Chantelle de Jonge Chestermere-Strathmore MLA
Last week, I had the pleasure of joining the Strathmore Seniors Happy Gang and had a wonderful time filled with laughter and great conversations. Seniors have contributed so much to our great province and deserve to live their golden years in comfort and with dignity. This is why our government is promoting continuing care communities across the province, including in Strathmore.
Alongside my colleagues in government, we are committed to maintaining a publicly-funded provincial health care system and upholding the principles outlined in the Canada Health Act. Health care universality and accessibility are core values of our government, which is why we have established an operating budget of $26.2 billion in Budget 2024 to improve service delivery.
All Albertans deserve access to the highest quality of care and support as they age. I am grateful to be part of a government that looks out for these interests. Through initiatives like our Health Care Refocusing and recently announced Aging with Dignity funding agreement with the federal government, we are creating a fully integrated health care delivery system to ensure that Alberta’s continuing care is available for all those who need it. Alberta’s government has committed $1 billion in funding over the next three years to transform our continuing care sector to meet the current and anticipated needs of our aging population. Our focus on continuing care ensures that Alberta will remain the best place to live, work, raise a family, start a business, and enjoy a fulfilling retirement.
As the MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore, I am proud to call this community home and to represent it in the Alberta Legislature. To ensure that our incredible seniors’ voices are heard in government, I continue to advocate for support and solutions to the ongoing issues that they face. I am grateful to my neighbours in the community who have reached out to my office to inform me of their concerns and interests as we undergo health care refocusing. Your input is invaluable as we continue to find solutions to meet your needs, ensuring that the necessary support is available for those who need it.
The topic of senior housing is particularly close to my heart. To provide more options for families, Alberta has a mixed model of publicly- and privately-operated continuing care homes. Regardless of ownership, all continuing care facilities must adhere to standards to ensure that residents receive quality services and care in accordance with Alberta’s Continuing Care Health Service Standards. These standards ensure that high-quality, comprehensive, and individualized care is provided for each resident. This model of continuing care has served Albertans well for years and has proved to be successful.
In recent years, our government recognized the need for increased continuing care space within Strathmore. To strengthen the continuing care resources, AHS issued a No-capital Request for Expression of Interest and Qualifications (RFEOIQ). RFEOIQ is the process that AHS uses to identify non-contracted continuing care spaces that can be converted to continuing care units, thereby increasing our continuing care system’s capacity without capital funding.
In partnership with our government’s efforts to increase capacity, Shasta Care Community, which is managed by one of Alberta’s largest senior living providers, Connecting Care, responded to this RFEOIQ and submitted a proposal to provide a supportive living, long-term care, and hospice space. This was great news to our government as this community follows the Eden Alternative model of care that promotes maximum independence, choice and dignity for each resident while encouraging the involvement of family and loved ones. After its anticipated opening in 2026, this facility will provide an additional 54 Type A (long-term care), 36 Type B, and six Type C (hospice space) units. While this project is still in development, it will provide more spaces and options for families seeking continuing care units.
The importance of increasing our continuing care capacity through publicly- and privately-operated spaces cannot be overstated. By providing more options for Albertans, we can better accommodate the individualized needs and preferences of Albertan seniors as they age. We will do everything we can to strengthen our continuing care system so that all seniors and persons with disabilities have access to the health, personal care, and accommodation services they need to support their quality of life.
As always, please feel free to email my office with your feedback and questions (Chestermere.Strathmore@assembly.ab.ca).
(Chantelle de Jonge is the MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore and the Parliamentary Secretary for Affordability and Utilities)