Senior Care in BC: more private care or pay more tax?

Senior Care in BC: more private care or pay more tax?

BC government is cutting healthcare budgets, and introducing HST, which are not surprise to me and other people in the health care industry. I think it is the time to think again: how to use tax-payers’ money more efficiently, and how to provide quality care?

Today, maybe we just talk about senior care in BC.

People may say that we are a private company, so of course we will say private operation is more efficient. Well, we have to let numbers talk. For home support and home care services in BC, pubic or non-profit organizations are getting $40 – $50/hour from government fundings (tax-payers’ money) to provide the services. While private compnaies like us are just charging $22 – $24/hour for the same services. 

Why does it cost $20 more for an hour’s service from public providers? How can that happen? I think every manager in private companies knows the answer. And the answer is so simple: motivation. It is the difference between a cattle in a farm and a buffalo in the wild environment. Only the latter has the sense of emergency and efficiency. The cattle is fed well and busy with piles of paperwork.

Then people may argue about the quality of care perspective. True, public providers have much more resources, which is not fair in the first place. But when we are talking about quality of care, it is not about resources, but the passion, values and quality of each individual caregivers. They management and other employees in public organizations are very professional, compassionate, and committed to health care. There is no doubt about that. But the system, the structure are never dynamic, creative and passionate any more. We, as a private business, have no other choice but to improve our quality of services constantly to survive.

Another arguement will be fairness for private care. When people are smoking, they say it is their own business and shouldn’t be bothered by others. But when they get ill, they ask the public to pay their healthcare bills. So there is no single definition of fairness. My personal understanding is that the more efficient we use all our resources, the more people we can help with better quality. This is fair to me.

I can see more private care for seniors emerging. Maybe it is a good thing for you.

Chun Wang

General Manger

Dignity Home Care

WHEN IS HOME HEALTH CARE APPROPRIATE?

WHEN IS HOME HEALTH CARE APPROPRIATE?

Because it is not always clear to many families when a senior needs home health care, it is usually best to consult a medical professional for advice. The following case study describes one situation in which home health care is the right choice:

 Alex is 78 years old and recently had a stroke. She was hospitalized for several days and then discharged to continue recovering at home. Her family called Dignity Home Care. The agency gave Alex a complete home health care plan for six weeks.

For the first week after Alex went home, a nurse visited her every day. The nurse met with Alex’s family to discuss her special dietary needs and to arrange for exercise therapy to help Alex regain her strength. Once that was done, the nurse visited Alex twice a week to check on how well she was recovering. Dignity Home Care also sent a homemaker, a personal care attendant, and a physical therapist to visit Alex several times during the week. The homemaker would do the shopping and cook light meals. The personal care attendant would help Alex bathe, get dressed, and walk. The physical therapist would keep Alex moving and see to it that she got some exercise to aid in her recovery.

Thank you!

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Volunteers Needed!

If you have healthcare background, or if you want to work in healthcare industry, and you need volunteer experience, please email your resume to info@dignityhomecare.ca .