AUPE launches letter-writing campaign for senior care
By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on August 20, 2024.
asmith@medicinehatnews.com The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is asking for citizen support in a new awareness and letter-writing campaign for the improvement of continuing care for seniors. The campaign is launched with intent to be just ahead of Grandparent’s Day on Sept. 8, said AUPE vice president Sandra Azocar, but they want for their lead-up to be more than just empty platitudes. “We’ve had this event to bring attention to long-term care in the past,” said Azocar. “Initially it was a lack of beds available in the province, and then it continued to be the issues around short staffing, or the issues around the fact that seniors were not getting the right care at the right place. So it’s grown and evolved.” This year the campaign is particularly timely however, as Alberta’s health minister continues to roll out changes to Continuing Care. “Not only did we see legislative changes that happened last year and regulatory changes that happened this year, but also we are waiting to see what the creation of this new continuing care sector will look like, and the impact that will have,” said Azocar. AUPE continues to call on the province to provide a minimum of 4.5 hours of direct care for seniors in health-care facilities, but says this call has been ignored. Azocar highlighted the passing of the Continuing Care Act, which makes no mention of required hours of direct care, a change from the previously stated 1.9 hours, as an ongoing issue that AUPE is trying to draw more attention to. It is her concern that these concerns are falling on deaf ears amidst ongoing privatization of senior and continuing care, which may result in soaring costs for those needing care as well as their loved ones, said Azocar. “These decisions are going to have a disastrous impact on seniors’ care in Alberta – especially now that Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, who reports to Premier Danielle Smith, will be calling all the shots instead of the health experts,” said Azocar. Azocar and AUPE are asking those invested in improving the standards of continuing care to sign a letter available on the AUPE website, requesting LaGrange “fix personal care for seniors in Alberta,” said AUPE. “We will continue to keep calling politicians out and making sure that seniors’ voices are heard, that our workers’ voices are heard, and that the government knows that Albertans are not just going to sit on their hands watching all this chaos happen,” said Azocar. 13-12
