B.C. long-term care residents and their family members will soon have stronger avenues to ensure their voices are heard, with the creation of new representative councils and a provincial committee.
Health Minister Adrian Dix announced the changes Thursday (Nov. 3), saying the province’s goal is to address the lack of agency residents faced throughout the first several years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is a debt owed,” Dix said.
He said most of B.C.’s 308 long-term care homes already have groups of residents, family members and advocates that meet regularly to promote their interests and rights, known as resident and family councils. On Thursday though, the province announced the creation of regional councils, which will bring together representatives from independent councils in each health authority to allow for increased collaboration.
Representatives from those regional councils will then take part in a new provincial committee, led by the Ministry of Health.
“Now the very people who are actually experiencing long-term care up close and personal will have a guaranteed collective voice on policy decisions that affect them,” Kim Slater, founder of Family Councils of BC, said.
