The Sarnia-Lambton Health Coalition is joining a call for better seniors care as part of a potential new health accord between the federal and provincial governments.
Chair Shirley Roebuck says more long term care beds are needed to deal with the aging population.
It's especially important in Sarnia because the city's average age is five years above the Ontario average.
"There aren't enough long-term care beds in Ontario or in our community," says Roebuck.
"What this means is that people that are too frail to go home and wait for long-term care beds, which is most people, they would have to stay in a hospital bed, so the system backs up."
Roebuck says the governments should also look at increasing the number of available respite beds to give caregivers a break. She's also pushing for the creation of a national pharmacare program.
Roebuck says caregivers sometimes get just 10 minutes to bathe a patient, which she says leads to hurried and erratic care.
