British Columbia’s Seniors Advocate says the province would need to spend more than $16 billion on new long-term care beds over the next 10 years to meet growing demand.

Dan Levitt said in a 60-page report released Tuesday that the waitlist for long-term care has ballooned in recent years, and the crisis will only worsen if the province stays on its current track.

There are currently close to 29,600 long-term care beds in B.C., which Levitt said is more than 2,000 beds short of what’s currently needed.

The Health Ministry has identified that 16,000 more long-term care beds are needed by 2036 to meet demand.

Levitt said costs to create new long-term care beds can run more than $1 million per bed, with about $100,000 per year in operating costs.

The province has committed to building 5,000 beds by 2031, but Levitt said Tuesday the government’s current plan falls far short of what’s needed.

The report said the waitlist for long-term care has grown over the past decade from 2,300 to 7,200. People on the list are waiting on average 290 days for a placement – double from 10 years ago. Those wait times are expected to increase exponentially as B.C.’s population grows.

But Levitt said the crisis is not only about a lack of beds, but also a lack of adequate alternatives to long-term care, such as home support, assisted living and respite services like adult day programs. Levitt said some seniors are forced to enter long-term care prematurely because their families can’t access these support services, putting more pressure on the health care system.

“The impact of not increasing the supply of long-term care beds to keep up with population growth over the next 10 years will have a profound impact on emergency rooms, hospitals, family physician offices, seniors and families,” said Levitt.

Levitt also noted longer wait times put more stress on families and caregivers, who have to juggle working with caring for a sick, aging or disabled family member.

“I think the main thing to think about is the individual family and the financial impact on them if they are losing an income or they have less money because they’re caregiving. You’re essentially shifting the government’s responsibility to the individual,” said Levitt.

The report makes a number of recommendations for the province, including:

Updating the plan for increasing the supply of long-term care with new funding commitments.

Undertaking a complete review of how help at home is provided, with a particular focus on the supports needed for people requiring long-term care and who are currently waiting for a bed.

Improving access to home-based care and community housing options such as seniors’ supportive housing, independent living and assisted living.

Improving transparency and communication for families navigating the long-term care placement process.

Conducting a review of health authority waitlist management practices and developing waitlist targets.

Levitt is calling on the province to develop a detailed action plan to address the recommendations in the report, no later than Oct. 1.

Premier David Eby said Tuesday he welcomed the recommendations. He said his government will work with the Seniors Advocate on the issues raised in the report, but also noted the current “challenging fiscal environment.”

He also pointed the finger at previous Liberal governments for not building enough new long-term care beds, saying , “this is a challenge people have seen coming for a while.”

Eby said his government has replaced or added more than 5,500 long-term care beds, but he acknowledged more needs to be done.

“We have to build faster, we have to build more, and we have to build more affordably to meet the demand that’s out there,” said Eby.