Column: Susan Jackson On Senior Homes
[Opinion column written by OBA MP Susan Jackson]
Recently, more relief for our seniors was promised by The Premier and Minister of Finance, The Hon. David Burt, in the House of Assembly. The promise of additional support with the aim to make sure seniors’ homes can be sustainable in the long term may be accomplished by aligning payroll taxes, Financial Assistance, transfers of seniors from the hospital to senior care homes and continued support outlined in the 2017 Long Term Care Plan.
The dilemma for senior care homes is the unforeseen consequences of government financial support. Virtually all senior homes rely on a portion of their income from seniors on Financial Assistance. However, a large portion of that government financial assistance goes right back to the government in the form of taxes leaving a small percentage of the monthly income for the actual care and operations within the senior homes. In a nutshell, the government giveth and the government taketh away.
The Minister of Finance has pledged to align spending and “get it right” so that senior homes are sustainable in the long term. The immediate challenge for the government in relation to seniors’ homes has been to reconcile the unexpected and substantial costs of Covid restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Health as a result of the global pandemic. Senior homes continue to carry the financial burden of purchasing PPE, additional expenses resulting from extended sick leave and additional wages to cover absent staff due to mandatory isolation and other strict health regulations. Senior care homes have lost income from day care programmess and have strict quarantines before welcoming new residents and are losing large amounts of income which threatens their ability to remain open and provide adequate care to senior residents. Our senior homes are a vital support service for our growing seniors’ population.
Government statisticians predict the proportion of seniors will climb to 25% of Bermuda’s total population by 2026. One solution is a full review of the industry to ensure a larger percentage of the government financial support is received by senior homes for the direct care of residents and not given right back to government in taxes. Another solution is the long-term view of increasing the number of employed and contributing young people in Bermuda to pay into the health system and assist funding to senior care homes.
Our health system is under constant strain whether it be the hospital or senior care homes. The money just isn’t there anymore because of young professionals leaving or not attracted to the island. To ease the strain, we need to grow the resident population and increase those young and healthy people to support the system.
As the Minister rightly stated, we must get the long-term care of our seniors right. Government does not have unlimited resources and more needs to be done to make sure our senior population, including senior care homes are sustainable for the long term.
- Susan Jackson
20 Most Recent Opinion Columns
- 10 Jun: Column: Banking On Bermuda’s Newest Industry
- 09 Jun: Opposition Leader Cole Simons On Digital Banks
- 08 Jun: Column: Cole Simons On High Cost Of Living
- 08 Jun: Column: ‘Harness The Power Of The Sun’
- 08 Jun: Column: Maintaining & Protecting Your Wellbeing
- 01 Jun: Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- 30 May: Column: Uniting Community Against Violence
- 23 May: Carla Seely Column: Pension Plan Rollovers
- 23 May: Column: ‘The OBA’s Latest Ill-Conceived Strategy’
- 20 May: Column: ‘Isle Of No’ Must Become Open Minded
- 19 May: Column: Island On Path Of Economic Recovery
- 17 May: Column: Why Do We Still Need IDAHOBIT?
- 17 May: Column: How Measuring Success Of Initiatives?
- 17 May: Column: Debate Ideas And Not Personalities
- 16 May: Column: Concerns, Improvements & More
- 13 May: Column: What Do You Look For In Leadership?
- 12 May: Column: ‘Concession Bill Is A Historic Giveaway’
- 11 May: Column: ‘The Practice Of Whataboutism’
- 07 May: Column: Why Wait For Mother’s Day?
- 07 May: Column: Water Conscious, Energy, Save Money
Opinion columns reflect the views of the writer, and not those of Bernews Ltd. To submit an Opinion Column/Letter to the Editor, please email info@bernews.com. Bernews welcomes submissions, and while there are no length restrictions, all columns must be signed by the writer’s real name.
-
while MP Jackson’s heart may be in the right place, the government cannot fully fund private rest homes. They provide grants, and they have provided relief. At some point, private rest homes need to fundraise on their own, and provide self-sustaining mechanisms of revenue, while containing expenses as best as possible. During the pandemic they were definitely hit hard, some lost many of their residents due to covid, and also their expenses went up with PPE and staff expenses. There have been many years however prior where the monthly fees for residents have been exorbitant and have caused much hardship on families to even be able to afford a spot in a rest home. So the issue is not just rest homes and seniors homes. The issue is senior care on a whole and making it affordable and practical and safe in general.