“I’m very disturbed by this and I’m going to fight them tooth and nail until I get my way.”
For Lakeland Lodge and Housing Association vice-chair Ray Prevost, the Alberta Seniors Matrix needs to be more than just reviewed, it needs total reconsideration.
“I’m trying to jarr their way of thinking on this, because it’s not making sense,” he exclaimed.
Recently, Prevost and Chris Vining, chair of the association, met with Bonnyville-Cold Lake MLA Scott Cyr and St.Paul-Two Hills MLA Dave Hansen.
While Prevost used it as a platform to detail the changes he would like to see, Vining saw it more as an opportunity to explain the situation.
“The MLA asked for the meeting to talk about it, so we went to discuss it and say, ‘here’s the issue.’ The stance was that understanding that we just want to get the matrix re-looked at, not that the mandate has to be changed,” he explained.
What Vining wants to know, is if the Lakeland is a special circumstance when it comes to residents above the threshold.
“We’re not into the idea of creating a solution that says ‘this is the way it’s got to be.’ We want to know if the situation we’re in is unique, or are other foundations across the province having similar issues?”
The Alberta Seniors Matrix is the priority rating criteria for lodge and self-contained living. Points are awarded based on certain factors such as risk, degree of independence, housing needs, availability of other accommodation, income, and special circumstances.
A senior can be awarded up to 100 points, which will determine their priority for lodge or self-contained living.
For Prevost, the problem lies with the income threshold, which is currently set at $28,650.
This category makes-up 30 of the 100 points available on the matrix, and can be detrimental to a senior’s application.
“The problem is, we have 83 people on the waiting list. We have 39 per cent that are high income seniors and they don’t qualify,” explained Prevost, adding unfortunately, the matrix is a provincial form and can’t be adjusted by the association to fit their own needs.
“You could be 90-years-old, and you’re making $31,000 per year, which isn’t exactly a high income senior in my mind, and you lose 30 points. While the person making $28,640 would get those points... It’s a little unfair,” he stressed.
With a wait-list that continues to grow, the lodge association is seeing seniors who may be in their 60’s applying for a room, being put higher up the list because of their low income status, while others who may be in more need are falling by the wayside because they’re above the income threshold.
“We have seniors in Bonnyville that have been on the (wait) list for a long time, and what happens is people keep getting bypassed on the list by others,” Vining said.
“The issue comes around to (the fact that) lodges are really set-up for low income seniors... Twenty years ago, that was all fine, and it still works very well in urban areas where there’s other choices for seniors to get care, where they can go to facilities that aren’t public and government-run... There, if you have someone with higher income, they can still acquire residence and care that they need at an appropriate level,” he continued. “The issue we’re running into, and it’s not necessarily an issue for all rural municipalities, it’s not really much of an issue in Cold Lake and it’s not much of an issue in St. Paul even because of the number of rooms they have versus the number of seniors they have. Bonnyville is a unique case, because they have a high number, where over a third of our waiting list at the BonnyLodge is considered high income. They make more than the minimum threshold, which is around the $29,000 mark.”
Prevost noted it’s pensions and retirement savings programs that affect a person’s income.
According to him it’s “those exact programs that you’re paying into... that are keeping you out of these institutions.”
“If you’re a school teacher, police officer, retired airman, hospital worker, or a town worker, you have this pension plan you’re paying into, and it, combined with your Canadian Pension Plan, knocks you right out of the ballpark really,” added Prevost.
The local seniors housing association has approached the province with their concerns and have been told it’s not at the top of their list.
Vining said, “They certainly aren’t shutting us down. They know we have a situation, it just becomes one of those within the ministry in terms of what their priorities are right now.”
The solution Prevost is suggesting is tiering in the income threshold.
For example, rather than someone being penalized 30 points for being slightly over, they could scale it.
“I find it difficult to understand why they haven’t graded this in a little bit. If you’re (only) $5 above the $28,650 you lose 30 points. Why can’t you lose (less) points if you’re at $29,000, and then lose (more) if you’re at $30,000?”
He would also like the matrix to add more weight to the needs and age of the applicant.
For example, under the current model, the paperwork only asks if they’re over the age of 65. It doesn’t take into consideration whether they’re 75, 80, or even 90.
“An individual’s housing needs at 65 are probably different from a person at 90,” exclaimed Prevost. “It seems to me, if you’ve reached the age of 85, some of these rules and regulations shouldn’t apply. It shouldn’t be about how much money you have in the bank or in your back pocket, it should be based on need. The need at 80, 85, 90, and 95, has got to be different.”
In terms of where the board stands, Vining said they’re torn, because they want to ensure they’re providing a place for seniors with low incomes, considering that’s the role of lodges, but they also want seniors to be treated equally.
“We want to make sure that all of our low income seniors have available care at places to live... We don’t want to cut that out at all, that’s not our goal here. Our goal is to create a system where people with a higher income, but who also have higher needs, are still dealt with fairly,” he added.
Vining continued, “We recognize there’s a problem, and certainly there is. It’s the number of seniors that we’ve had waiting for a long period of time on that list. We’re recognizing that as they age, their needs are increasing, but it’s not necessarily reflected on the matrix... That’s the struggle, that’s the frustration of families in the area that are trying to find an appropriate place for their mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa to live.”
