Facility changes rekindle debate

By Dan Hilborn
Published April 6, 2005


The redevelopment of the Central Park Manor care home in Burnaby has rekindled the debate over the future of residential care services in the Fraser Health Authority.

The privately owned facility, located at Burke and Boundary Road, is spending $2 million to convert the former 97-bed 'intermediate care' facility into a new 40-unit assisted living complex that is set to open in November.

While officials with the Hospital Employees' Union are concerned the change to assisted living will increase costs for seniors, Burnaby-Willingdon MLA John Nuraney said the redevelopment will provide more affordable housing for seniors who need just a limited amount of care.

"Before we were elected and since, there was a great desire from seniors who wanted to retain their independence and still get some assistance," said Nuraney. "This is a very successful model that has been used at Nikkei Place, Seton Village, Dania Home and now Central Park Manor. The reports we have from residents is that they are very happy with this service.

"It is an added service for those who don't want the complete extended care model," said Nuraney, who also announced that the time seniors spend on waiting lists to get into residential care in the Fraser Health Authority have now been reduced from a high of 18 months to a current wait of just 30 days.

"The gauge I'd like to measure this with is the demand and supply model, and I'm told by the Fraser Health Authority that anyone seeking an extended care bed is accommodated within 30 days," he said. "So there are beds out there that meet the need. It's not like it's a long waiting list. Three years ago, the wait list was between a year and 18 months."

Union spokesperson Margi Blamey said the redevelopment needs to be viewed in terms of a net loss of residential beds across the province.

"Assisted living is a part of a comprehensive plan for seniors' care, but it's not the answer to a reduction in long-term care beds, to the cutting back of acute care beds and to overcrowded emergency rooms," said Blamey.

Blamey pointed to a recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives that found a total loss of 1,464 long-term care beds in B.C. between 2001 and the end of 2004, even after the new assisted living units are added.

Blamey was also surprised by Nuraney's statement that the waiting list to get into an extended care bed had been reduced to just 30 days.

"After the government did its cutbacks in all the health authorities, there was a claim that there was no wait list at all, so I'm pleased to see they're documenting this again," she said. "Now we can start tracking what needs to be done for seniors' care. ... I'd like to see how they built their list and what their terms of reference are."

Blamey also expressed concern about the affordability of assisted living centres where seniors will likely have to pay extra for services such as assisted baths, medications and additional meals or for visiting guests.

"With these extra costs, it often becomes unaffordable even for higher-income families to pay," she said. "I think it's really important to note that we are shifting from a not-for-profit model of care for seniors to a for-profit model of care, and that's troubling. The ability to pay is a key factor for seniors."

But Keith McBain, leader of assisted living for the Fraser Health Authority, said the redevelopment of Central Park Manor was prompted by the fact that the facility, which was originally built in the early 1970s, was simply inadequate for the style of care it was providing.

The narrow hallways and doorways of the facility, located at Burke Street and Boundary Road, no longer met modern health-care standards, he said. "The (new) suites are larger. ... This promotes more independence and more choices," McBain said. "Assisted living is a mid-option for people. It's intended for those individuals who are currently living in their homes and home support is not sufficient, but they're not ready for long-term licensed care."

McBain said assisted living is just one part of the health authority's overall plan to restructure its residential care program. Fraser Health is on target to have 1,176 assisted living units open by the end of next year. There are currently 361 assisted living spaces open in the region, with 255 spaces scheduled to open this year, including the 40 beds announced this week at Central Park Manor.

The remaining 560 units will open next year, he said.

A press release from the Fraser Health Authority said the Central Park Manor development will house a total of 46 seniors in 40 subsidized units and three units offered at market rent.

Al Jina, president of Park Place Seniors Living, the company that owns Central Park Manor, said the redevelopment will create homes suitable for seniors who need some help but not the full services of a complex care residential facility.

"When you fall or have a hip fracture, being put into a residential care bed is not necessarily the best thing," Jina said. "You'll probably want a housing option and you'll want to have as much independent living as possible."