Article content

Come July 1, Bernard Hartnell will pay 30-per-cent more to live in a long-term care facility.

The fee increases announced in the March provincial budget were recently communicated in a letter to Bev Hartnell, Bernard’s daughter and power of attorney.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Family faces hefty hike in bill for long-term care due to budget cuts Back to video

“If it was going up a couple hundred dollars for dad, that would not be a problem,” said Bev.

“To go up 30 per cent, that’s atrocious. Where else does something go up 30 per cent?”

Bernard is 85 years old and has dementia. He moved into a secure ward at the Santa Maria Senior Citizens Centre in Regina one year ago.

His monthly residence charge of $2,065 is jumping to $2,689.

About half of seniors living in Saskatchewan long-term care facilities are seeing a fee increase. About one quarter of them will pay at least $44 a month more, according to the Ministry of Health.

Four per cent of residents pay the maximum, as Bernard does.

About 8,500 residents pay the minimum monthly fee of $1,086, plus a percentage of their income: Currently 50 per cent, the percentage is increasing to 57.5 per cent, which explains the fee increase.