Long-term care to get federal boost; CUPE looking for more details on funding

Changes are coming to long-term care in Canada.

As part of Tuesday’s federal budget rollout, $3 billion over five years has been earmarked for the long-term care home (LTCH) sector. The funds will allow for the creation, implementation and upkeep of minimum health-care standards across the nation. Funds will begin to be distributed next year.

It’s all welcome news to Saskatchewan CUPE president Judy Henley.

“Right now, there is no standards of care. We’re shortstaffed, especially in this province. So it’s definitely much-needed resources,” she said.

Henley added she and CUPE are advocating for all LTCHs to become a public service as well. She said the for-profit model can, and should, be phased out.

“It’s not going to happen overnight,” she said. “For Saskatchewan, it’s probably easier than other provinces because we have a high number of levels 3 and 4, all public … So it’s not as many as the other provinces. But the fact of the matter is, we do have a government that likes privatization.”

Frank Suchorab is the executive director of Oliver Lodge in Saskatoon. He said they’re looking forward to some positive changes to funding and the funding models.

“It helps support folks that are trying their very, very best to deliver services. (It) recognizes their good efforts and will help them even further with that,” he said. “We’ll be more responsive to the individualized needs and the individual’s complex care needs and be more responsive and proactive in meeting those.”

Suchorab added he believes better outcomes will come from these changes, leading to better overall care.

Henley said the change is a start, but more details need to be ironed out as well.

“(That’s) to make sure the funding doesn’t go into the profits, it’s going to go into the seniors,” she said. “The details later will probably help us understand what the funding is.”

Henley added that this promise shows that something went wrong during COVID, pointing out a significant proportion of deaths were linked to LTCHs.

“The vast majority of the deaths were also in for-profit long-term care facilities,” she said.

Saskatchewan’s worst COVID outbreak in a LTCH facility was located at a for-profit model, that being at Parkside Extendicare in Regina. 

Around 200 cases were found at the facility, leading to at least 36 deaths.