File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Curtis Goodrum

LONG-TERM CARE

BC Seniors Advocate sounds alarm on lack of long-term care beds

Jan 30, 2026 | 5:25 PM

KAMLOOPS – The province’s seniors advocate has called on the province to act on the lack of government-funded long-term care beds.

The oldest baby boomer is now 80 years old, and these beds are in greater demand than ever, with many waiting over 10 months. 

The Kamloops Centre for Seniors Information believes this issue could have been prevented and, now that it’s here, the effects will be felt throughout communities.

“It’s going to have a ripple effect throughout the healthcare system, not just for the senior that’s waiting for the bed, but for the caregivers, as well,” said Brandi Allen, the executive director for the Centre for Seniors Information.

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Allen says the report outlined an issue everyone in this sector saw coming.

“This is a huge issue we all knew was coming. It’s here, it’s happening and it’s right now. They are opening long-term care beds, which is wonderful, but they just can’t keep up with the aging population and the high demand,” said Allen.

The BC Seniors Advocate says around 16,000 beds will be required in BC in the next 10 years, making an already dire situation worse.

“We really have this 10-year window to build the number of beds we’re going to need for the aging population. We don’t have a plan right now to get there. Looking back over the past 10 years, a few thousand people were waiting for long-term care beds in British Columbia. Now, that’s more than 7,000. Ten years ago, they were waiting five months. Now they’re waiting 10 months,” said Dan Levitt, the BC Seniors Advocate.

With thousands on a waitlist and a 19 per cent increase in people over the age of 65, pressure is mounting on BC’s healthcare system.

“The baby boomers really are at the front wave of that demographic, where one-in-three people over the age of 85 will require care. The other third of people over the age of 85 are providing care to that person. Two-thirds of people over the age of 85 are either receiving or providing care and, as our aging population grows, they’re going to need support,” said Levitt.

The Centre for Seniors Information says that a lack of bed space is also putting unnecessary pressure on families.

“We talk a lot more with the loved ones and the people who are advocating on behalf of seniors who are waiting for long-term care beds. We hear a lot of stories about seniors who are in the hospital for longer than they should be, or even at home longer than they should be, which is obviously causing a lot of burnout when it comes to family members that are trying to fill that gap,” said Allen. 

The Ministry of Health currently has no plans to add long-term care beds after the next five years.