Among the many forms of inhumanity, those least intended are often the most destructive. We told the story last week of Lynn Davis, who is being turned out of the assisted-living suite she thought was hers for life.
Davis, 70, has fibromyalgia — a chronic musculoskeletal disorder that causes widespread pain. There is no cure. Along with 10 other assisted-living residents, she has been given six months to find new accommodation.
There is no “bad guy” here, no heartless landlord nor uncaring bureaucracy. Rather, this is the result of a decade-old policy preference with consequences that were not foreseen.
Assisted-living units are offered to clients who require help with housekeeping and personal care, but are otherwise independent. Residents pay a share of the rent equal to 70 per cent of their after-tax income, and B.C. Housing makes up the rest with grants. Island Health supports 1,018 of these suites across Vancouver Island.
The program began in 2002, following a promise by then-premier Gordon Campbell to build an additional 5,000 seniors’ care beds. But it quickly became apparent that meeting this commitment with public facilities alone would be costly and time-consuming. So the decision was made, where possible, to place assisted-living clients in privately owned apartments.
Hence, most of the suites across the province are in private hands, including all of those on Vancouver Island. The owners are a mix of for-profit and not-for-profit agencies.
Despite the fact this was, in many ways, the most practical solution, it also contained an element of risk. The suite Davis rents is in a strata condominium. Island Health entered a contract years ago with the owner of 15 units in the condo.
Under the terms of the agreement (which embody the kind of complexity only governments can design), the owner undertook to provide housekeeping and personal-care services in 11 of the suites.
But the arrangement came to an end last month because the owner of the units was losing money. It also appears other residents complained the condominium had become a long-term-care facility.
Staff at Island Health insist this is an exception. Most of the arrangements with private operators work well.
And there are only 120 people on the wait list for assisted-living units, Island-wide. That means Davis should be able to find a new apartment before the six-month notice period expires.
Still, a 70-year-old woman in fragile health is being evicted, with all of the uncertainty and fear that causes. And infrequent as this might be, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
For-profit owners must face the reality they might do better on the open market. They’re not operating a charity. They have a right, and a duty to business partners, to earn a fair return.
As well, in condominiums like the one Davis occupies, there is always the risk that some owners will worry about property values. Again, they have a right to be concerned.
There is no simple solution here. The demand for assisted-living suites on Vancouver Island is far exceeded by the need for more long-term-care beds that offer higher levels of care. If Island Health had more money, it would almost certainly be used to build more of the latter.
Still, the policy of placing assisted-living clients with for-profit companies poses obvious risks. In the longer term, this might need further thought, particularly in the case of mixed-ownership condominiums.
For now, all we can do is wish Davis, and the other residents who lost their suites, success in finding homes. Our thoughts are with them.
