CANMROE – Even with $170 million in funding announced recently to support seniors care providers in the province's response to COVID-19, an overall operating deficit for local seniors lodges is expected for 2020.
Bow Valley Regional Housing Chief Administrative Officer Ian Wilson said he estimated a $600,000 operating deficit in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 related expenses at the Bow River Seniors Lodge in Canmore and Cascade House in Banff, which represents 85 supportive living residential suites.
"Because there is an uncertain end date to this situation, [I looked at the budget] until the end of the year," Wilson said. "At the end of the day, it is a $602,800 anticipated deficit and that is made up of two things."
Additional expenses related to the COVID-19 response for residents of the long-term care homes are expected to be about $1 million, while additional revenue from the government of Alberta funding announcement and the federal wage subsidy program is expected to total approximately $440,000.
"We have applied for that," Wilson said. "Our accountants don't see why we shouldn't qualify, but we don't know yet for sure."
Last week, Minister of Health Tyler Shandro announced funding for extra cleaning supplies and enhanced staffing for long-term care, designated supportive living facilities and seniors lodges in the province dating back to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic mid-March.
“We know from our experience over the past few months that seniors are most at risk from COVID-19," Shandro said in a press release.
"If our province is to carefully and gradually lift public health restrictions, we must first make sure our most vulnerable will remain safe. This funding is another step in that direction and complements ongoing efforts.”
It amounts to $14.1 million per month until Alberta's chief medical officer of health orders are lifted. Funding requires reporting on use of the money.
Expenses for BVRH's supportive living for seniors is up 38 per cent, Wilson said, for additional cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment, among other increased costs.
"We had to bring in a lot of different equipment to facilitate physical distancing," he said. "But the bulk of that is labour costs, because not only do we have a bunch of overtime, but there are new tasks added to our to-do lists."
Wilson said the good news is BVRH has healthy operating reserves and can access $754,000 of funds in its operating accounts.
"At the end of the day, the board approved [changes to] the budget where we would access a little over $300,000 in operating reserves and we are anticipating the rest of the deficit would be covered by cash flows in our operating account," he said. "We have done good work on our reserves and we have done good pandemic planning."
Wilson said he began ordering supplies mid-January and BVRH was in a good position when the first case in Alberta was confirmed on March 5. The long-term care facilities in Canmore and Banff have also seen no cases of COVID-19.
"We shut down non-essential visitation in and out of the lodge early," he said. "We had our staff wearing masks to protect residents in case we had asymptomatic infection ... weeks before it was required."
He said as restrictions related to the new coronavirus are relaxed, BVRH will be continuing to hold fast at the lodges and prepare against a second wave of the virus.
The isolation has been difficult for residents, Wilson said, but community efforts to buoy spirits have helped.
"It helps them know they are not forgotten and know the rest of the world is in a weird place too," Wilson said.
BVRH vice-chair Lisa Rosvold asked the community to show gratitude for frontline staff at all seniors care facilities in the valley. The community delivered, with signs, messages of support and a drive by parade of vehicles. and 150 homemade fabric masks for residents of the two BVRH lodges.
"Our staff are doing so much to take care of our residents and we feel they are in very capable hands," Rosvold said. "It was incredible to see the request for support and gratitude to be shared was heard."
Rosvold also helped arrange 150 homemade masks made with colourful designs to be provided for residents of the Bow River Seniors Lodge with a request for help on the Stone Soup Canmore Facebook page. She said it only took two days for a dozen people in the community to step forward to donate masks with fun patterns.
"They were so excited to wear them," Rosvold said. "The residents are happier wearing something they picked out on their own, not just [a surgical mask] provided for them to wear."
Efforts are also underway with Andy Arts Films to produce a thank-you video for the staff with messages from locals in the valley.
BVRH, a regional housing body that provides community and seniors housing for all municipalities of the Bow Valley, appoints members to its board each year. The board reports to the province and has the power to requisition property taxes in each member municipality.
In addition to the two seniors lodges, BVRH operates independent seniors apartments, community housing and the provincial rent supplement program.
