October 5, 2020
“Over my three and a half years as the MLA for Columbia-River Revelstoke I have had the honour of working with our seniors on their health care issues, from expanding the frequency of B.C. Transit’s Health Connections Bus to getting better care in residential care facilities,” said Doug Clovechok, BC Liberal candidate for Columbia-River Revelstoke. “Seeing the challenges that our seniors face with the current system first hand showed me why the B.C. Liberals’ plan announced this past weekend is a real game changer.”
The BC Liberals announced a new Seniors’ Home Care Tax Credit in addition to a five-year $1-billion plan that will help seniors stay in their homes longer and live their best possible lives in long-term care facilities.
“Our plan helps seniors right away by supporting them to stay in their homes longer with a tax credit of up to $7,000 for home care services,” Clovechok continued. “We will also invest $1-billion over the next five years to improve long-term care homes and get any senior who wants one their own room. That’s half the time of the NDP’s 10-year plan.”
“We need to make sure that the tragic impacts COVID-19 had on our long term care and assisted living residence aren’t repeated.” concluded Clovechok. “That’s why making it easier for seniors to stay at home longer is so important, and why when our loved ones do need long-term care, we need to do more to make sure it’s the best possible quality.”
BC Liberals will bring in new care-supports and resources for our seniors, to improve their health, safety and quality of life and help them stay in their own homes longer.
A BC Liberal Government will:
- Provide a new ‘Seniors’ Home Care Tax Credit’ for those receiving home-care services, to enable more seniors to live with comfort in their own homes, and to help reduce pressures on care facilities.
- Tax credit for expenses paid for home-support services
- Eligibility:
- A senior who is a resident of B.C.
- A tax credit equal to 35% of eligible expenses
- The annual limit on the amount of eligible expenses is $20,000 (for a maximum tax credit of $7,000 per year).
- If the senior’s income is over $60,000 the tax credit is reduced by 3% of the amount by which their income exceeds that amount. The reduction does not apply if you are considered a dependent senior or, if you are claiming the tax credit jointly, your spouse is considered a dependent senior.
- Provide $1-billion over five years to upgrade assisted-living and long-term care homes throughout the province to be safer and more resilient to infection outbreaks and to ensure every senior who wants a private room can have one.
- Expand programs to assist seniors and people with disabilities with home renovations, to allow more seniors to age in place, including reinstating the Home Adaptations for Improvement grant program implemented by the previous BC Liberal government and suspended under the NDP.
- Home Renovation Tax Credit for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities
- Double the current maximum amount of eligible expenses you can claim for a tax year to $20,000
- Home Renovation Tax Credit for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities
- Launch and ensure a truly independent review of the response to COVID-19 in our seniors’ long-term care and assisted living homes.
- Ensure reliable and safe access to long-term care in BC.
- Work with the federal government to replace and upgrade ageing long-term care homes and assisted living residences, and work with public and private operators to decommission multi-bed wards, to help ensure every senior who wants a private room can have one.
- Implement measures to enable family members to safely visit seniors living in long-term care, assisted and independent living residences during the COVID-19 pandemic, to bring residents comfort and companionship.
- Work with care home operators to develop a long-term health human resource strategy for the seniors’ care and living sector to address chronic worker shortages and improve quality of care.
- Improve home-care visits and supports for seniors living in their own homes.
- Provide a new tax credit for family caregivers and for those receiving home-care, to enable more seniors to live with comfort in their own homes, and to help reduce pressures on care facilities.
- Increase the supply of fully-accessible units for seniors and persons with disabilities, in newly-built multi-unit residential buildings.
- Work to eliminate ageism and unconscious bias across government, to ensure all services are free of any discrimination against seniors.
- Offer seniors and their families a free central registry to provide reliable Advanced Care Plans for eldercare.
- Expand programs to assist seniors and people with disabilities with home renovations, to allow more seniors to age in place, including reinstating the Home Adaptations for Improvement grant program implemented by the previous BC Liberal government and suspended under the NDP.
