A commentary by an Oak Bay resident.

My husband’s ordeal with dementia ended in August after more than a year on a waitlist and seven painful months in an interim long-term care facility.

His story is deeply personal, but it reflects a system in crisis — one that too many families know all too well.

Long-term care is shattered. There are not enough beds, many facilities are outdated, and staff — though doing their best in impossible circumstances — are stretched to their limits.

The 2025 Seniors Advocate Report warns that the number of seniors aged 75 and older will grow by nearly 50%.

Yet in just a decade, long-term care beds have dropped from 77 per 1,000 seniors to 58, with projections of only 41 by 2035 if nothing changes.

Hospitals, meanwhile, are crowded........

© Times Colonist