B.C. Care Providers responds to Office of the Seniors Advocate report

KAMLOOPS — The B.C. Seniors Advocate released a report reviewing COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes during the first and second wave in British Columbia.

The report found that health authorities who gave staff more time off were less likely to have larger outbreaks.

But the B.C. Care Providers Association disagrees.

“I think we have to be careful because one of the areas of the province with the largest number of outbreaks was the Fraser Health region because they had more community spread,” said Terry Lake, CEO at the B.C. Care Providers Association.

Lake pointed out that Fraser Health has more contracted providers, including contracted services and fewer paid sick days.

“Again, it’s good information and information that we need to design a new model of funding and a new model of care for seniors in B.C.,” said Lake.

He adds that more sick days for staff is only possible if there is funding for it.

Among the report recommendations, Lake agrees that more testing could have helped mitigate past outbreaks.

“Even in an outbreak situation, not all staff and residents were tested. People coming from hospital into longterm care were not tested and this caused outbreaks,” Lake said.

“I think we could have done a much much better job of testing to keep residents safe,” he added.

On Tuesday, the province made it mandatory for all care homes visitors to be vaccinated, effective Oct. 12.

Lake says although the virus is not getting into care homes through residents, he supports this mandate.

“With the Delta variant ,it’s far more transmissible. We don’t want to take any chances. If it makes sense to go into a restaurant with a double vaccination, it makes sense obviously to be vaccinated before you go into the most vulnerable setting possible,” said Lake.