The people who run long-term care homes in B.C. say they are seeing more people suffering the lasting effects of drug addiction in facilities.

The number of people suffering acute brain injury housed in residential care homes has risen from 135 to 141 in the past two years.

Terry Lake, the CEO of the B.C. Care Providers Association, told Global News that complex care facilities have always been for those over age 24, although they have been geared towards elderly people in the past.

“But what we’re seeing is a different population now more affected by drug use,” Lake said. “Brain injury due to chronic drug use. And there’s no other place in some communities for these folks to be placed. And so that is a difference we’re seeing now is an increase in this population that’s a little bit different than the conditions we saw before.”

Lake said the issues seem to be limited to health authority-owned and operated sites.

“In larger communities, there may be opportunities to have separate facilities, but certainly in smaller communities and even in mid-sized cities, it may be that you have to use one facility, but they should be separate units with similar populations congregated together,” he added.

Lake said these facilities also need specifically trained staff to deal with patients.

“We shouldn’t be mixing populations and expecting staff that are trained and used to looking after an older frailer population to all of a sudden deal with a younger, stronger population with behaviours that they may not be familiar with, and certainly associated behaviours around drug use that they’re not used to dealing with at all,” he added.

Health Minister Adrian Dix told Global News that this practice has always been in place in B.C.

“We have an aging population,” he said. “We need to build more long-term care beds. We have a $3-billion program to do that. And our new long-term care homes will also be more flexible. In other words, they tend to be in sort of pods or neighbourhoods of 12 rooms, single bedrooms as well, which is really important for residents.”

Dix said that they also need to improve staffing and recruitment.

“It’s clear that people who have substance abuse issues, they don’t go into long-term care. But there may be people in long-term care who have issues, who require and meet the criteria for long-term care, but are living with substance abuse issues, whether it be the drugs or alcohol or whatever,” he added.

Dix said that all of B.C.’s new long-term care homes will have spaces for different population units in different places and separate entrances so people can get appropriate care or be with people who have similar interests or concerns.