The New Brunswick Advocate’s latest monitoring report says the pace of long‑term care reform is leaving families behind.

The Child, Youth and Seniors’ Advocate says the provincial government is moving forward, but too slowly.

In its Recommendation Monitoring Report, released in October 2025, the Advocate’s office reviewed the province’s progress on reform.

The report says the Department of Social Development has accepted many recommendations in principle and is drafting new long‑term care legislation.

The Advocate credited department leadership for showing “genuine engagement” and noted “significant implementation” on some initiatives, including caregiver supports, person‑centred care planning and cultural competency training.

But the office said long‑standing governance flaws identified in its earlier How It All Broke review remain.

Those include weak data collection, a lack of short‑term accountability, and poor collaboration between departments. The Advocate said the absence of short‑term accountability makes it difficult to know whether reforms are reaching families in real time.

The report also stressed that not all reforms require legislation. It urged the government to act more quickly on issues such as inspections, affordability and caregiver supports, rather than waiting for a new law to be passed.

The Advocate’s office tracked dozens of recommendations in this review. It found several had been accepted in principle, a handful rejected outright, and only a small number fully implemented.

The report highlights mixed progress on specific recommendations:

• A proposal to create a Non‑Profit Partnership Secretariat was rejected. The department said it would instead focus on existing programs such as Nursing Home Without Walls.
• The Nursing Home Without Walls program is being expanded, with a goal of reaching all nursing homes by 2029. The Advocate welcomed the expansion but noted other elements, such as flexible staffing standards, were not addressed.
• Plans to support family caregivers are moving ahead, including dementia training and a promised monthly caregiver benefit. The Advocate rated this as significant progress.
• A recommendation to create a provincial caregiver network was not adopted directly, but the department pointed to existing supports and pilot projects.

On diversity, the Advocate’s office noted further steps:

• The department rejected a call to transition all adults with disabilities under 65 out of nursing homes, saying placements must be decided case by case. The Advocate called the practice of housing younger adults in institutions “unacceptable.”
• An external review of services for neurodiverse adults is planned for 2026–27.
• Consultations with the New Brunswick Multicultural Association and surveys of LGBTQIA2S+ populations will be included in the development of new legislation.
• Training on cultural competency has already been launched, which the Advocate said fulfills one recommendation.
• On First Nations long‑term care, the department accepted recommendations in principle but pointed largely to federal initiatives. The Advocate warned the province is relying too heavily on Ottawa and urged it to take a more active role.

In its conclusion, the Advocate’s office said it is encouraged by the direction of reform but stressed that families cannot wait for years of study.

“Children do not grow up and adults do not age at a speed that matches the pace of government study,” the report says.

The office said it remains optimistic but impatient, adding that political and bureaucratic leaders must now justify that optimism with faster action.