About Family Caregivers in BC
Family caregivers are the primary source of care and support in BC. For every hour of care paid for by government services, family caregivers provide roughly 5 hours of unpaid care.1 In 2017 around one third of these caregivers reported caregiver distress.2 Vancouver Island now has some of the longest waits in BC for long-term care with patients spending up to five times the provincial average in ‘alternate level of care’ hospital beds while waiting for LTC.3 The local population of older adults 75+ is expected to increase 49% in the next ten years 2025-2035.- The number of people waiting for Long-Term Care has more than tripled from 2015-2025 (From 2381 to 7212)
- Office of the Seniors Advocate: Home Support for BC Seniors 2023
- Office of the Seniors Advocate: Caregivers in Distress 2017
- Office of the Seniors Advocate: From Shortfall to Crisis (LTC) 2025
Vancouver Island Family Caregiver Dashboard
<Coming Soon>Pro-tip: Long-Term Care wait times in 2026 range from 3 months to 2 years. Rural areas tend to be longer. Home care can help stopgap until a placement becomes available or replace the need for placement entirely.