Assisted Living Alberta announced as last public health agency taking over AHS

CALGARY — The Alberta government has named Assisted Living Alberta as the last of four new public agencies taking over provincial health care from Alberta Health Services.

Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon said Thursday the new agency will be responsible for a number of services, including continuing and assisted care, home care, housing and social services.

Nixon said the agency will look to bring non-profit and other care providers more into the fold to ensure services are available and improved.

“We will prioritize addressing a person’s complex needs of care, rather than focusing on simply providing medical care for a particular diagnosis,” he said.

He added that there are more than 800,000 seniors in the province and the need for assisted living and similar care options is expected to increase significantly.

“About 2,500 more Albertans turn 65 each month,” Nixon said. “Because of this, over the next 10 years, demands for continuing care services in Alberta is projected to grow by 80 per cent.

“As our community changes, it’s important that older adults, people with disabilities, and Albertans experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable populations have access to the support they need to maintain their quality of life and to live and age with dignity.”

Nixon said that to aid the start of Assisted Living Alberta, which is to be officially operational in April, the government formed a transition committee to advise the transfer of responsibility from Alberta Health Services.

Dr. Sayeh Zielke, a cardiologist from Lethbridge, Alta., was named chair of the committee.

Nixon said the government also launched a survey to get feedback from Albertans on how they’d like to see assisted living programs and services improved.

“This is a big process, and we are going to take the time to get it right,” he said.

“Almost all of us will need assistance at some point in our lives, and I want to make sure that we have a system that truly puts Albertans first.”

Nixon’s announcement comes after the province named Recovery Alberta, Primary Care Alberta and Acute Care Alberta as the other agencies taking over from Alberta Health Services.

Alberta Health Services is to still be responsible for a majority of hospitals but will report to Acute Care Alberta.

Premier Danielle Smith has said repeatedly that the government’s intention behind dismantling the provider is to “refocus” the health-care system.

Critics of the plan, such as Friends of Medicare, say introducing four new agencies creates chaos in an already strained system.

“We’ve seen nothing from this government to suggest that the creation of an entirely new agency, siloed from the other pillars of health care, will in any way improve continuing care in our province,” Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, said in a statement.

“Instead, we’re seeing this government stoke even more chaos at a moment when so many Albertans are already struggling to navigate our increasingly complex health-care system and access the care they need and deserve.”

Nixon said nothing will change for Albertans when it comes to how they interact with the health-care system.

“Albertans, right now, they will receive health care no matter where they are within the system,” he said. “These four health organizations will work together simultaneously.

“What changes is we no longer have one health agency trying to deal with all of these issues at once.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2025.

— By Jack Farrell in Edmonton

The Canadian Press