The cancellation of contracts for up to seven new long-term-care homes in British Columbia has highlighted the plight of thousands of elderly individuals who remain hospitalized while waiting for placement, with some passing away before receiving care.
Laura Kyle shared the story of her mother, Barbara Donaldson, who spent over seven months in hospital with Parkinson's disease before dying in September. Initially admitted to Victoria General Hospital in February 2025, Donaldson was deemed ready for discharge after about a month but could not return to her independent living suite.
Kyle recounted that Vancouver Island Health Authority officials presented four options to allow her mother to stay at home with full care, but each was eliminated one by one. The only remaining option was to wait in hospital for a public long-term care bed, with a waitlist of 12 to 18 months that later extended to two years.
Despite reaching out to her local MLA, Health Minister Josie Osborne, and Premier David Eby, Kyle received only a form letter from Osborne's office. She and her husband prepared to borrow against their home to secure a private facility bed, but Donaldson died shortly after reaching the top of that waitlist.
Statistics from Minister Osborne reveal that 7,829 seniors are on waitlists for long-term care beds in B.C. In Island Health, the average wait is 345 days, with some waiting up to 1,861 days. Vancouver Coastal Health sees a maximum wait of 2,825 days, while Northern Health has the highest average at 376 days.
Kyle expressed frustration that the provincial government was aware of the crisis but chose to ignore it, leaving families like hers to suffer the consequences.
