How to Get Into Long-Term Care in BC: A Step-by-Step Guide for Families

You start the publicly funded long-term care process through your regional health authority, usually after a referral from a family doctor or hospital care team.

A long-term care home does not place someone directly into a publicly funded bed. The health authority first decides whether long-term care is needed and whether home support, assisted living, or another service would be safer right now. If you are not sure where to start, call 8-1-1 and ask for Home and Community Care intake in your health authority.

Start earlier than you think you need to. The assessment and waitlist process can take time, and the first call does not commit your family to a move.

The health authority assessment decides whether your family member qualifies for long-term care and what supports should be in place while they wait.

A case manager uses an InterRAI assessment, a standardized clinical evaluation used across Canada. The assessment covers:

• Physical health: Mobility, chronic conditions, pain, nutrition, skin integrity
• Cognitive function: Memory, decision-making ability, orientation
• Activities of daily living: Bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring
• Behavioural health: Mood, social engagement, any responsive behaviours
• Current supports: What home care or family support is currently in place

Not everyone who applies is approved for long-term care. The assessment has to show that the person's care needs are beyond what can be safely managed at home or in assisted living. If the answer is not long-term care yet, ask what level of home support, adult day program, respite, or assisted living assessment is appropriate.

Once your family member is approved, you can usually list up to three preferred long-term care homes in the health authority region.

Those preferences matter, but they are not a guarantee. Placement still depends on clinical priority and bed availability. If none of the preferred homes has a vacancy, an interim home may be offered if the person agreed to consider interim care.

• Visit facilities in person before adding them to your preference list
• Use your case manager's current wait estimates for each preferred home
• Ask your case manager about average wait times at each facility
• Consider how close each facility is to family members who will visit often
• Ask whether the facility has specialized units if needed (dementia care, complex care)

If you have not visited yet, use our BC care home visit checklist before finalizing your preferences. It gives you questions to ask about staffing, routines, safety, meals, family communication, and what move-in would look like.

The average wait for a publicly funded long-term care bed is 287 days, about 10 months, but a specific home can be shorter or much longer.

Waits vary by health authority, city, clinical priority, and preferred home. The provincial number is a planning benchmark, not a promise.

• BC average: 287 days for a publicly funded long-term care bed, up 98% from 146 days in 2018
• Preferred homes: Popular facilities in Victoria, Kelowna, Vancouver, and other high-demand areas can take 18 to 24 months
• Smaller communities: Some move faster, but choices may be limited and distance from family can be harder
• Hospital waits: Hospital discharge teams may move faster when a patient is medically ready to leave but cannot safely go home

As of the latest Office of the Seniors Advocate reporting, 7,212 people were waiting for publicly funded long-term care in BC, and the waitlist has tripled since 2016. BC has fewer long-term care beds per 1,000 seniors aged 75+ than it did a decade ago, and the province faces a projected shortfall of 16,000 beds by 2036.

For the regional breakdown, read our BC long-term care waitlist guide. For the financial side of waiting, compare the public rate formula and private-pay options in our BC long-term care cost guide.

When a bed becomes available in a preferred home, the health authority will explain the response window. Ask your case manager about that local timing before the call comes.

If none of your preferred homes has a vacancy, you may be offered an interim home if you agreed to consider interim care. Provincial Policy 6.D allows up to 72 hours to decide on an interim offer. If you accept, you retain your position for a preferred home.

• Preferred-home response time: Ask your Health Authority which local window applies
• Interim offer: Provincial policy allows up to 72 hours to decide
• Preferred home vs. interim: Accepting interim care preserves your preferred-home waitlist position
• Move-in: Once you accept, move-in usually happens within a few days. The facility will send a welcome package with what to bring and what to expect.

The short decision window is the reason to visit homes early, talk through location tradeoffs with family, and decide which non-preferred options you would still accept. For practical advice on the move, read what to expect when moving a parent into long-term care.

While you wait, arrange support in parallel instead of waiting for the placement call before making a plan.

Your case manager may arrange publicly funded support, and your family may decide to add private-pay help if the current plan is not enough. The right bridge depends on safety, caregiver capacity, and budget.

• Home care: Your health authority can arrange professional home care visits. These cover personal care, nursing tasks, and medication management.
• Adult day programs: Structured daytime programs that provide social engagement and caregiver relief
• Respite care: Short-term stays at a care facility can give family caregivers a break. Ask the Health Authority or facility about eligibility, duration, and availability.
• Private home care: You can supplement health authority services with privately hired care aides ($35–$75 an hour, depending on care type). See how to pay for senior care in BC for subsidies and programs that can offset this.
• Caregiver support: Contact the BC Caregiver Support Line (1-877-520-3267) for emotional support and practical advice

If your loved one's condition gets worse while waiting, contact your case manager right away. A change in health status can move you higher on the priority list.

What to do next

If you've just been told about the average 287-day wait for a publicly funded long-term care bed, read what to do while you're on the LTC waitlist in BC. It covers home care, day programs, respite, keeping your waitlist spot active, and what to arrange this week.

When you're ready to start visiting facilities, Your BC Care Home Visit Checklist walks through what to look for, what questions to ask, and how to compare what you see.

How do you get into long-term care in BC?

You start with a referral from your family doctor or hospital care team, then your health authority completes an InterRAI assessment. If long-term care is approved, you list preferred facilities and join the centralized waitlist.

Who qualifies for publicly funded long-term care in BC?

Eligibility is based on clinical need. The assessment must show that the person's care needs are beyond what can be safely managed at home, in assisted living, or with other community supports.

How long is the waitlist for long-term care in BC?

The average wait for a publicly funded long-term care bed is 287 days, about 10 months. Specific homes can be shorter or longer, especially in high-demand cities.

Can I choose which long-term care home I go to?

You can usually identify up to three preferred homes. Placement still depends on bed availability and clinical priority. If none has a vacancy, an interim home may be offered if you agreed to consider one.

What happens if an interim home is offered?

Provincial policy allows up to 72 hours to decide on an interim offer. If you accept, you retain your preferred-home waitlist position. If you decline, ask your case manager what publicly funded and private-pay supports are available while you continue waiting.

How do I check private-pay long-term care availability?

Private-pay long-term care is arranged directly with the operator and does not require the health authority assessment. If a bed is open and the rate works for your family, it can often move faster than the public waitlist.

What can you do while waiting for a bed?

Keep in touch with your case manager, update them if health needs change, and arrange support such as home care, respite, adult day programs, or private-pay bridge care. Our while-you-wait hub pulls those options together.