Lloydminster MLA Colleen Young, left, pictured with Graham Brown, president of the Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society, will help the group lobby for a change of address exemption for seniors placed temporarily in care centres outside their home province. File Photo
The Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society has a new advocacy fight on its hands.
They are seeking a border exemption for the entire city to prevent family stress and related costs when elder relatives are placed temporarily in long-term care spaces out of their community and province.
“That’s a real problem having to change health care numbers (and other ID) when persons get placed out of the community in long-term care spaces temporarily,” said Seniors Care Society president Graham Brown.
“They would need a change after 90 days and a change back again.”
The seniors’ group is teaming up with Lloydminster MLA Colleen Young and newly re-elected Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright MLA, Garth Rowswell to fight for change.
“We’re trying to get an exemption where that wouldn’t happen and they would stay a resident of the province they wish to be,” explained Brown.
The issue will be noted at the group’s AGM on June 12 at the Legacy Centre.
Young says she’s had families come to her who are concerned about placement in long-term care within our community and outside our community on temporary placements.
“We know beds are in shortage and they are trying to move people that are ready to move out of acute care beds in the hospital to long-term care placements,” said Young.
Young told a recent seniors’ meeting the issue at hand stems from Lloydminster not having enough beds on the Alberta and Saskatchewan side of the city, leading to seniors being placed temporarily out of their province of residence.
Young says in some cases, they aren’t coming back as quickly as they should be because there is no bed available.
Alberta Health Services and Saskatchewan Health Authority have both confirmed as recently as 2019 that Lloydminster needs an additional 60 spaces by 2025 and 148 by 2035.
Young says Jubilee House, which has 52 beds, is on the long-term replacement list and she’s lobbying for a new build with at least 100 beds.
She notes the temporary placement to one or the other bordering provinces is very stressful for those who don’t want to become residents of another province.
“I’m advocating residents should have a choice when they’re moved back into the community to whichever side of the border, that they can remain residents of their province without having to change all that (ID),” said Young, including their drug plan and driver’s licence.
She also thinks if the affected individual can’t make the choice, those with power of attorney should be able to make the choice.
“It’s more about the families and the stresses they are going through in order to do this,” said Young.
She will be on out-of-town business for the upcoming AGM along with Rowswell who will be brought up to speed on the issue in the coming weeks.
Brown says it’s regretful Alberta Heath Minister Jason Copping lost his seat in the May 29 election, but says there are many familiar health contacts in place with the United Conservative Party still in power.
“The nice thing about Garth is, he is already familiar with some of our issues,” said Brown.
Young noted she too plans to run for re-election in the next Saskatchewan general election.
“I am being challenged so I’m asking for people to come out and support me. I believe I have been a strong advocate for this community,” said Young.
