Alberta Senior Care
A closer look at home and long-term care in Calgary
Alberta Health Minister, Fred Horne, has been drawing plenty of attention to the state of Alberta health care since 2012.
From privatizing home care companies to firing the board of directors at Alberta Health Services, Horne has gained many critics.
One of these critics is Bill Moore-Kilgannon, the executive director of Public Interest Alberta. “So my analysis of the budget shows that the government is not addressing the crisis in senior care.”
Public Interest Alberta partnered with the Parkland Institute in 2013 to conduct a study throughout the province regarding senior care, entitled “From Bad to Worse.”
This investigation has solidified some of Moore-Kilgannon’s concerns around senior care and the consolidation of home care. “People who had been getting home care for a long time from particular agencies, lost their care providers,” said Moore-Kilgannon. “The companies that came in are paying their staff low wages, so they have a really high turn-over now.”
The examples of senior neglect Alberta Health Services has seen in home and long-term care facilities stems from long work hours and staff shortages.
Moore-Kilgannon was able to share some of these stories with The Calgary Journal. Please be aware of the descriptive content.
Bill Moore-Kilgannon: “Tsunami of seniors” – deemed insensitive on the governments part
Photo taken by Ed Kaiser, retreived from the Edmonton Journal
Bill Moore-Kilgannon, executive director of Public Interest Alberta, says "We need to be improving on the quality of home care, not corporatizing it."
Photo retrieved from parklandinstitute.ca
From Bad to Worse: Residential Elder Care in Alberta - a study conducted by the Parland Institute, adresses Alberta's concern with receiving proper care as they age
Click to hear from Moore-Kilgannon:
The father of a fellow board member
Click to hear from Moore-Kilgannon:
The story of a daughters worry for her mothers care
Through these horror stories, Moore-Kilgannon has felt the drastic changes that have ultimately shaken senior care in Alberta.
"The government needs to realize that senior care is part of our public health care system," says Moore-Kilgannon. "Seniors have paid taxes all their lives."
The Calgary Journal has approached Minister of Health, Fred Horne, as well as David Quest, Associate Minister of Seniors, to comment on Moore-Kilgannon's statements. Neither minister responded.
Moore-Kilgannon stands close to his perspective on senior care, and believes there's still a lot of improvement that needs to be done.
Moore Kilgannon says, "... the system is designed for profits, not for quality care."