Advocates say a dedicated minister ‘good first step’ to focus on issues facing N.B. seniors

New Brunswick has officially announced a minister of seniors.

Jan Seely says she was meeting with other colleagues in the long-term care sector last week when a “special guest” walked in.

“I really had no idea what was going to happen,” said the CEO of the New Brunswick Special Care Home Association.

Premier Susan Holt surprised the group of seniors advocates, announcing that Lyne Chantal Boudreau would officially take on the role of minister of seniors.

Previously, the role Boudreau held was more of a figurehead position. And seniors advocates have expressed concern the file was getting lost within the Department of Social Development – which also manages child protection, family support, persons with disabilities and social assistance files, along with seniors and long-term care.

“When you have all these fires to put out and you only have maybe one or two fire hoses, it’s really difficult to focus,” Seely said.

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The seniors file will move entirely under Boudreau’s purview, along with staff and the approximately $800 million budget.

“This file touches so many other files. I mean, it touches so many other departments and so many other aspects of how we live in New Brunswick as citizens,” Seely said. “The situation in the hospital directly impacts a young mother with a child that has croup. And she’s sitting in the emerge for 24 hours because there’s no room in the hospital. Well, the senior that’s in one of those beds because of this convoluted, fragmented system that we have…it’s not their fault either.”

Progressive Conservative seniors critic and MLA Margaret Johnson is hopeful this is a first step toward a new department altogether.

“I’m going to hope that this is a measure to get that started,” she said. “The budget for this year will have been decided. It’s going to be presented in the next couple of months. And so that’s already been put in place. So maybe this is something that’s been put in place to get that started.”

Long-term care has been in the spotlight for the last several years, but lately the health authorities have revealed just how many hospital beds are being used by patients who are waiting for a nursing home bed.

This week, Horizon Health CEO Margaret Melanson said 142 beds at Fredericton’s Chalmers hospital are currently in that situation.

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