Tell us your story! New health care advocacy group asks public for help

If you have personal experience with health care, including home care, residential care, if you are waiting for residential care, or need respite care, Seniors Voices Comox Valley would like to hear your story.

The group is fairly new but has been working privately for a few years. It formed out of a frustration with the shortage of available residential care in the Valley and then an interest in the numbers behind the hospital running at over-capacity.

Seniors Voices Comox Valley became increasingly concerned about the state of seniors’ health services for the Valley and for the province of British Columbia. The group says on their website, “we have decided to lend our not-yet-retired talents and experience to creating a voice for seniors. A voice especially intended for those of us who are least able to advocate for themselves.”

Delores Broten, one of the group’s founders has been trying for year to determine what the real need for residential is in the Valley.

“My husband was very ill, paranoid, and delusional and I just couldn’t take care of him anymore, but there was no relief in sight.,” she said. “I tried all kinds of avenues to get information, and heard so many different stories from the system. There was a list. There was no list. There were 70 people waiting for beds on the list that didn’t exist; there were 29 people waiting for beds. It would take months. We would have to go to Nanaimo. Meanwhile the front line workers said, ‘Hundreds, and in dangerous situations.’”

Eventually the group developed an analysis and statistically based projections that, with our growing and aging population, the Valley will need at least as many new long-term care beds again in 2021 when the newest facility, Golden Life, opens. Our new hospital will also remain sadly over-crowded.

But that’s a number crunching exercise, according to retired management consultant Peggy Stirrett, another founder of the group.

“To understand and convey the true story, we need to know the real impact on people for all seniors health care services. Only the people of the Valley can tell us that based on their own experience,” she said.

The group has recently launched a website so they can connect with the community. It displays useful resources for seniors and about seniors’ healthcare advocacy. It is a source of information and research for the group’s current advocacy support including the Comox Valley Seniors Village families project.

There is also an analysis on our care bed shortage and its impact on our hospital operating at over-capacity.

“We also need all kinds of other help,” Broten said. The group is looking for volunteers to look after the website, to maintain a database, to help with economic analysis, to make a Facebook page, to answer correspondence, to write letters, and eventually to help with public events.

But most of all, right now, they want to hear your story. Readers can start participating by filling out a confidential questionnaire.

For more information, people can contact the group at info@seniorsvoices.ca