Carol Matusicky
It’s not just right. Helping seniors to stay healthy and in their homes is smart and saves money.
That’s what we do in the community social services sector.
Across the province, agencies provide older British Columbians with support, from cleaning services to food deliveries to meals.
What if we didn’t?
Statistics Canada just provided some answers.
It reported that 34 per cent of Canadians over 65 - one in three - are at risk of malnutrition.
There are many reasons. For some, mobility issues make shopping or cooking difficult. Physical issues, like difficulty in swallowing, are factors, as are emotional issues like depression and loneliness.
And, of course, there is poverty.
Whatever the reasons, the results can be disastrous for the seniors, and enormously costly for society.
The StatsCan study noted “frailty, falls, hospitalization, institutionalization and death” are among the consequences.
Tragic for the people involved.
And damaging for the province. If a poorly nourished senior falls, or becomes ill, and requires an acute care hospital bed, the cost is $1,100 a day. If the person ends up in residential care, the cost could be $200 a day.
But a help with shopping, or a home visit with meals, costs perhaps $15 a day - and provides a better, happier life.
Many, many seniors are supported by family, or neighbours, or friends. We applaud that kind of caring, and the practical and emotional support it provides.
But it’s not there for everyone. In today’s society, children could be thousands of miles away. Seniors could have retired to a new centre where they have few connections. The death of a spouse, loss of a driver’s licence, illness all can bring unforeseen changes.
That’s why community services are critical in providing support when people need it.
It’s strange that we never doubt the need for hospital emergency room services.
It should be just as essential to provide the services that keep people from needing to take that frightening ambulance ride to the ER after a fall, or when they become ill. That keep them from occupying an acute-care bed when they should be at home.
Prevention is better, and cheaper, than dealing with the consequences of avoidable problems.
And, as StatsCan reports, “the absence of help with shopping and cooking” is among the contributors to the risk of malnutrition and the resulting serious risks.
It’s not just shopping and meal services that make a difference. Our agencies offer cleaning support, activities and outings, help with getting to doctors’ appointments - all things that keep seniors healthy, active and thriving.
At the same time, our frontline workers fill another role. It’s easy, as the study suggests, for the elderly to slip into loneliness or depression. Simply having guaranteed regular contact with a caring person makes a difference in the quality of life.
We need to talk about the importance of these issues in the coming election campaign. Waiting lists for these kinds of services have increased as funding has been frozen and even cut for years.
Agencies have found ways to do more with less. But the system is in crisis.
We need to need to let politicians and parties know that support for the sector, and a long-term commitment, is essential for the future of seniors, families and the province.
And they need to tell us that they understand, and that if elected they will deliver.
Carol Matusicky is the chair of Board Voice Society of BC, an organization reflecting the views of hundreds of Community social service boards of directors across the province.
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