Alberta government says details forthcoming on 1,515 new continuing care spaces

The provincial government says it has big plans to build more continuing care capacity this year, while a public health non-profit group claims seniors "deserve better."

Provincial officials said Thursday that1,515 new continuing care spaces will open acrossAlbertain the coming year, with details expected to follow in the coming months.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Health Minister Jason Copping said the province's investment involving almost $3.7 billion in operating funds, with $204 million in capital funding over three yearswill help the health-care system as a whole.

"We need to have the right spaces available when people need them and where they need them, and I want to emphasize adding continuing care spaces adds capacity to our entire health-care system," Copping said.

"Most people move into continuing care from the hospitals, so adding spaces is critical to make sure patients can leave the hospital when they're ready. That means there's a hospital bed available sooner for the next patient who's waiting in emergency."

Alberta's population of seniors increased more than 55 per cent overthe past 10 years, according to Dr. Sid Viner, medical director for Alberta Health Services in the Calgary zone.

Lori Sigurdson, the OppositionNDP'scritic for seniors and housing, said Albertans "can't trust the UCP with their health care."

"Minister Copping provided no indication or details on a plan today to implement the recommendations of his own report on significant issues such as staffing shortages and increasing the hours of care for residents, despite having received this report nine months ago," Sigurdson said in a release.

"The premier praised privately operated continuing care facilities but did not acknowledge how outcomes of private facilities performed worse than public facilities throughout the pandemic a fact the UCP's own continuing care review also acknowledges."

Friends of Medicare,a public health non-profitgroup,issued a releaseThursday that said Alberta seniors "deservebetter."

"This is the same approach we've seen time and again from this government," Chris Gallaway, executive director of the group, said in the release.

"They hand public health-care funding over to private companies looking to turn a profit at the expense of quality care for seniors. We can't keep treating our seniors like commodities."