Eviction of Calgary seniors highlights turmoil in continuing care
CALGARY — The eviction of 29 seniors from an assisted-living facility in Calgary shows that increased private sector involvement is not the cure for the health care needs of a growing seniors population said Guy Smith, President of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.
“Private corporations are ultimately responsible for delivering a profit, and as this example shows, that can run against the best interests of patients,” says Smith.
The evictions caught health officials flat-footed when the owner of the Carewest-operated assisted living facility, Chartwell REIT, gave just two weeks’ notice it would not renew its lease with Alberta Health Services. The seniors now need to find new homes by the end of September.
“There is a huge waiting list for long-term care and assisted living in Alberta. It’s extremely unfair for seniors to be pushed back into that situation, and it’s unfair for our members who work in the facility,” said Smith.
“This kind of unnecessary turmoil could be avoided. Proper investment in publicly owned and operated facilities would give seniors, and the care-giving teams that support them, the kind of certainty Albertans expect in health care.”
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For more information:
Guy Smith, President, AUPE, 780-930-3301, or 780-265-2294 (cellular)
Mark Wells, Acting Communications Director, AUPE, 780-930-3311, or 780-904-0688 (cellular)