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By Dave Lueneberg
Advocacy group says Province is 'failing'

Seniors deserve better care in their golden years: Friends of Medicare

Jun 1, 2026 | 5:37 PM

An Alberta health care watchdog says it wants to remind the UCP government that seniors are valued, and its executive director believes those who built this province should be treated better.

Chris Galloway with Friends of Medicare made the comments during an interview with Pattison Media Monday, the first day of Seniors’ Week in Alberta.

“There’s a lot we could talk about. The changes to seniors drug benefits, and other drug benefits, but the big thing in our minds as it relates to health care is seniors care,” Galloway opened.

“Our long-term care system and our home care system…we consistently hear that those systems are failing seniors. That they’re not getting the care they deserve and that frontline health care workers are being failed, as well.”

The advocacy group points to a 2023 report by Alberta’s former auditor general, Doug Wylie, that stated there was insufficient preparedness, severe staffing shortages, and outdated infrastructure in the system.

“You know, we’ve been calling for years for that to be addressed. We seen some good auditor general reports and other reports that have come out talking about solutions, but instead the government has doubled down on de-regulating care, removing minimum hours, and turning more and more over to ‘for profit’ long-term care companies, rather than investing in public health care.”

The group recently completed a 25-stop tour of Alberta, and Galloway said that seniors’ care was top of mind at every session.

He feels the biggest reason for the failure in seniors care is staffing, referring back to wording contained in the auditor general’s review.

“The vast majority of workers do not have full-time jobs (in home/support care) but it’s part-time work. It’s working two or three jobs to get by. Not having benefits. Not having sick days and we saw the impact through the pandemic, but it’s also impacting (overall) care.”

Galloway said, in response to that, the government went further, removing minimum hours of care contained in legislation and regulations.

He said the end result is some facilities have laid off staff because they can provide the same amount of care with fewer staff.

“We’re hearing of workers on floors at night where they’re the only worker on each floor. So, what happens when some falls? What happens when there’s an incident?”‘

Galloway blames it on, what he calls, a ‘profit motive’ that’s driving long-term and home care in the province to worst care outcomes and a lot of that, he strongly believes, has to do with the working conditions.

“Seniors Week should serve as an urgent reminder to this government that we can, and must, do so much better.”

by Dave Lueneberg