Hike in rent, services not sitting well with Elders

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A proposed 40 per-cent hike in fees for long-term care is raising the temperature at the Native Seniors Centre in Edmonton.

Centre outreach co-ordinator Elsie Kruger said the seniors met with provincial New Democrat party leader Raj Pannu at the centre on July 16. He talked about how the hike will affect the residents if new legislation is allowed to pass.

"If it is not stopped by the fall sitting, it will go through and it will affect everyone. Not just the seniors, but it will also affect the families as well. Like us, the baby boomers who are the next generation of seniors," said Kruger.

She said she is concerned because a single elderly person only receives about $13,000 a year, and some of the places for long-term care are charging as much as $1,500 a month now.

Pannu talked about the increase and how the government is picking the seniors' pockets again. It was noted that seniors already lost some of their dental and optical benefits in the early 1990s.

"These seniors have already fought for this country and they have to fight again. This time they are fighting to maintain their benefits. It just does not seem fair that they should have to do that."

Kruger said that her father was in a long-term care facility before he passed away and her mother may soon need to move to a long-term care facility as well.

"Someone will have to look after that for her, and I'm getting up there too. I'm in the baby boomer generation. The Elders are going through a really bad time. I mean a lot of them are outraged and they are really concerned. A lot of the seniors are talking about this situation, because they are having a lot of difficulty financially. And with the rising costs in living, how are they going to live and eat healthy when they do not have enough money coming in?" she asked.

"They talk about Elders financial abuse, but what about when it is the government doing it? This is the worst kind of abuse, because it is the government that is doing this. These Elders have paved the way for us, so I think that it is horrible the way the seniors are being treated. I'll be considered a senior someday and I'm going to find it difficult too if this is not stopped."

Lou Arab, a spokesperson with the New Democrats, said the concern from the party's point of view is that this decision will force seniors to rob their life savings just to pay the rent.

"They will supplement the absolutely poor seniors, but what about the seniors that fall in the middle bracket of the rich and poor? They will suffer because they will not be eligible for any subsidy so they will have to keep paying out of their pockets," he said.

"This idea is basically robbing assets of seniors...They are not going to change the care for the seniors one bit. They are just taking more money, that is all, and it is going to be the same care for a much higher price.

"The sad thing is if a private landlord tried to raise the rent by 40 per-cent with a month's notice they would not be allowed to do that. The laws would say that you have to give more notice than what the provincial government is giving. This is not respectful to the seniors. It forces them into some very dire circumstances. Yes, they are right to say that no one will be thrown out into the street, but that does not mean that life will be good at all," Lou Arab said.

Kevin Donnan, the communications officer with the Ministry of Alberta Seniors, said that a 40 per-cent hike is in no way a small increase and that the Ministry of Alberta Seniors realizes that there are some legitimate concerns out there and that they are focusing on low income seniors who are most in need.

"The other thing is that absolutely no resident will be asked to leave or to move to another long-term care facility. If they are in long-term care, their meals are provided and we've got a supplementary benefit that is being implemented as well. So they will have a good chunk of that covered," he said.

"The increase i the accommodation rate is for room and board and housekeeping, and low income seniors will be provided with assistance where they will retain a personal allowance of at least $265 a month in disposable income to use for personal items, such as toiletries and clothing and that sort of thing."

He said that seniors facing a financial hardship should speak with their facility operator.