Liberals pledge 1,000 nursing home and 'memory care' beds

Over the next five years, the province will create more than 1,000 beds for nursing home residents and people with dementia, Premier Brian Gallant promised Thursday.

The Liberals' multi-year nursing home plan was the latest in a string of funding announcements kicking off an election year.

The government has pledged millions to improve education, youth employment and senior care — the three biggest challenges facing the province, Gallant said — but no dollar figure was attached Thursday to the five-year nursing home plan.

Ten nursing homes with 60 beds each will be built around New Brunswick between 2018 and 2023, the premier said in Florenceville-Bristol, where one of the new homes will be built.

Another 407 "memory care" beds for people living with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, will be set up in special-care homes, Gallant said.

Finally, 19 additional beds will be spread among existing nursing homes in the province.

"With our multi-year aging strategy, we will work together to provide our seniors the best quality of life possible," Gallant said. "Investing in new nursing homes and memory-care beds will create jobs and help improve senior care." 

Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Lisa Harris said the province wants seniors to live independently at home for as long as possible, but it's important to ensure there are sufficient beds in a province with an aging population.

"It is crucial that we make strategic investments now that support our seniors, to ensure the best quality of life for everyone who calls our province home," she said.

Advocates react

Officials from industry and residents' rights associations said the news was positive, but there are still many unanswered questions.

Jodi Hall, executive director of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes, said workforce challenges must be addressed as the province begins to build.

"With adding capacity to a system, we need to make sure we have a very clear and well-developed workforce strategy that goes with that," Hall said.

She said a better understanding of the current system is also needed before capacity is increased — understanding, for instance, why some existing nursing homes have vacancies.

Cecile Cassista, executive director of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents' Rights, echoed Hall's thoughts but also raised concerns about the cost of special care home beds.

Unlike nursing homes, she said, special care home fees aren't regulated by the province, and the cost barriers for seniors could persist.

"Will these seniors be able to afford it, because the government only subsidizes up to a $77 a day for a senior," she said.

It's among many details missing from the plan, which she said injects uncertainty and could be scrapped by a new government before it barely gets off the ground.