BC Seniors’ population outpacing long-term care
- Vernon News Desk
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The number of seniors in British Columbia is growing faster than the supply of publicly subsidized long-term care beds and assisted living units, according to new data from the Office of the Seniors Advocate of British Columbia.
The findings are outlined in a January 27, 2026 news release titled New data: Seniors’ population increase outpacing long-term care, which accompanies the release of the updated 2025 Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory.
The directory provides detailed information on 301 publicly subsidized long-term care facilities and 133 assisted living residences across the province.
In 2024/25, four new publicly subsidized long-term care homes opened in Kamloops, Aldergrove, Victoria, and Prince George, adding 513 beds compared to the previous year.
Since 2019/20, the total number of facilities has increased by six, with 1,437 additional beds, a five per cent increase in capacity over that period, while the population of seniors aged 65 and older has grown by 19 per cent.
The report also shows there were seven fewer publicly subsidized assisted living units in 2024/25 than the year before.
Updated annually, the directory is widely used by the public and receives more than 80,000 website visits each year. It includes information on care quality indicators such as funded care hours, room configuration, food spending, medication use, use of physical restraints, complexity of resident care needs, licensing complaints, reportable incidents, and inspection results.
This year’s update also expands online wait-time reporting for long-term care facilities to include all new admissions, as well as non-urgent admissions from the community.
The data show some areas of improvement in long-term care, including an increase in single-occupancy rooms, a decline in shared rooms, and higher funding per bed.
However, the directory also identifies ongoing concerns, including the use of antipsychotic medication without a diagnosis of psychosis remaining above the national average, as well as increases in substantiated complaints and reportable incidents.
BC Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt is reported as saying the province is entering a period of rapid growth in its senior population, with the number of people aged 65 and older rising far faster than the supply of publicly funded long-term care beds.
He points to government data indicating approximately 16,000 additional long-term care beds will be needed over the next decade, noting there is currently no plan in place to meet that demand.
Levitt says wait lists and wait times for long-term care and assisted living continue to grow, placing increasing strain on seniors and family caregivers.
He also says home support services remain unaffordable or insufficient for many older adults, leaving families struggling to care for loved ones at home.
While acknowledging recent improvements, Levitt says significant challenges remain in the long-term care system, particularly around medication use and the rising number of complaints and reportable incidents.
The release notes that British Columbia’s senior population is projected to grow by 26 per cent over the next 10 years.
Over the same period, the Ministry of Health’s current plan calls for a 10 per cent increase, or 2,935 beds, between 2025 and 2030, with no additional beds planned beyond that timeframe, despite a current shortfall of about 2,000 beds that is expected to widen.
For full facility profiles, summary findings, and searchable data, the Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory is available through the Office of the Seniors Advocate of British Columbia.
For more information, the full news release New data: Seniors’ population increase outpacing long-term care (January 27, 2026) is available from the Office of the Seniors Advocate of British Columbia at:
The 2025 Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory, including individual facility profiles, summary findings, and searchable data, is available at:
BC Seniors’ population outpacing long-term care
Comments