COVENANT HEALTH HREATENINS FRAIL ELDERLY

Hi Elder Advocates:

I am writing on behalf of my parents, who are in their 80s and live in Edmonton

My mom has mobility and multiple other health problems and is incontinent and my dad’s faculties are declining, he has high blood pressure and is under a crushing amount of stress looking after my mom. My mom is currently at XXXXXX Hospital because my dad thought she had a heart attack. Her heart is OK though and they are doing tests.

My mom and dad have both decided she would be safer, more secure and better looked after in long term care and so we would like to have that option now. They have tried home care for months now and it was woefully inadequate. My dad hired a caregiver but she turned out to be unreliable (substance abuse suspected).

Anyway. The social worker at the hospital tells me they will likely release my mom next week – home for more home care “services” because keeping seniors at home is the priority (which I understand).

This is not acceptable in our case however because home care isn’t nearly adequate and we have no one currently hired as proper caregiver. My mom stays in bed all day and won’t cooperate with my dad. My dad can’t cope. He’s broken her ribs trying to move her. She falls. Etc. Awful.

I figured the hospital can’t release my mom to an unsafe situation at home and they can’t release her if my dad refuses to take her home. However, I put that to them and they said if he did refuse they would still discharge her.

To where? I said.

Well for example, a HOMELESS SHELTER, they said (an RN and a Transition co-ordinator)

I was shocked.

My son and I have another meeting with the hospital people Monday (May 7) in the morning. If someone could get back to me before then I would really appreciate it. I would like to know what our legal rights are in this situation.

Telephone XXXXXX
Thanks again

NOTE
Because this story is still in flux, we are not publishing the details, however we shall. 04/05/18

May 4, 2018