Elder Abuse

The deaths of 106 year old Annie Munro and her 75 year old daughter Emily Martin are the most dramatic consequences of the Campbell government's closure of residential care beds. The 106-year-old Siska band woman's death followed the Interior Health Authority's decision to close long-term residential care beds at a hospital in Lytton. Her daughter died one week earlier with the letter on her lap informing her she was going to have to take her 106-year-old mom home or Annie would be moved to Ashcroft.

Let there be no misunderstanding. Try as it might to fault the bureaucracy, it is the policy of the Campbell government to close 3,000 long-term residential care beds so as to divert the money to "assisted living". Every word from Minister Katherine Whittred is available in the transcript of the April 22, 2002, staged cabinet meeting. On top of that, the Campbell government has offered personal financial rewards in the form of bonuses to Health Authority CEOs who stay within their budgets. No rewards have been offered for reducing the body count, just for cutting the expenditures.

Premier Campbell responded to earlier "communication problems" by saying that Health Authorities should treat elderly patients as they would treat their own mother. Stories followed about how the Premier persuaded his mother to move to an exclusive $3,500 per month private care facility. That price is for low end care, not the kind of 24/7 that many of the frail elderly require.

Administration on Aging, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says that "Each year hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected and exploited by family members and others." The website for the West Vancouver Police provides an estimate that 16,000 elderly British Columbians suffer from abuse each year. The West Vancouver Policy site provides shocking examples of abuse, advice on how to detect it and resources for those seeking help. Who is going to provide the resources to stop the systematic attack on seniors by the Campbell government?

One of the first acts of the Campbell government was to fire the Seniors Advisory Council. During second reading of the Bill to repeal the Seniors Advisory Council Act, Health Planning Minister Sindi Hawkins said the Council was no longer necessary because "…of the Minister of State for Intermediate, Long Term and Home Care, who now acts as a voice at the cabinet table on issues that affect seniors."

The province has since seen the stunning performance of the Minister of State for Intermediate, Long Term and Home Care.

To its credit the Campbell government did back off from its announcement that bus passes for seniors would be eliminated. However, it proceeded with cuts to Pharmacare and it has said that effective January 1, 2003, further substantial cuts will be made to Pharmacare as income tests are introduced. The government has provided no public consultation on what those changes will be including what income levels are being considered.

Most people have never seen a podiatrist, but podiatry is an important service for many seniors. Government cut it.

The poorest seniors used to qualify for the Seniors Supplement. It is being "phased out" beginning April 2002 with its elimination for most seniors expected to be complete by the summer of 2004.

Of course, seniors are hurt by many of the fee increases and service cuts that affect all British Columbians regardless of age, but seniors are special. Unlike younger people, old people do not have years ahead of them that they can use to recover from today's losses. The RCMP's Elder Abuse website defines psychological abuse as "Inflicting anguish by insulting, humiliating, intimidating, ignoring, frightening, isolating, removing decision making powers, withholding love and denying access to grandchildren." There are many seniors who would say the Campbell government has subjected them to such abuse.