| BC HEALTH COALITION NEWS RELEASE
BC Government must respond to call to improve home support services
The BC Health Coalition calls on the provincial government to respond to the more than 30 municipalities that have passed resolutions in favour of improving home support services.*
At the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) annual general meeting later this week, a resolution calling for better services will be considered.
Over the past year, the BC Health Coalition has gathered support for the campaign to improve home support services for seniors and the disabled. More than 130 groups and individuals have endorsed the campaign. In November 2006, the BC government’s report Aging Well in BC – A Report of the Premier’s Council on Aging and Seniors’ Issues recommended "a wider range of home support services, including cleaning and home maintenance (culturally-specific where appropriate, such as with meal preparation) to people who are unable to carry out these tasks on their own."
"People around the province are suffering because of the lack of home support services," says Joyce Jones, co-chair of the BC Health Coalition. "Between 2000/01 and 2004/05 the number of people receiving home support in BC plummeted by 24 per cent. This translates into day-to-day hardship for seniors, the disabled, and their families.
"The provincial government must respond to municipalities and restore home support to 1994 levels," adds Jones. "Home support is a cost-effective program that relieves pressure on other areas of the health care system while allowing seniors and the disabled to live with dignity in their own homes."
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For more information contact:
Joyce Jones, co-chair, BC Health Coalition; 604-987-0168; 604-786-7530 (cell)
*List of municipalities that passed resolutions is available from the BC Health Coalition Website: www.bchealthcoalition.ca
411 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1X4
phone: 604.681.7645 - fax: 604.681.7947 - email: info@bchealthcoalition.ca - website: www.bchealthcoalition.ca
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