REGINA — Regina resident Joanne Weiss is concerned that her 85-year-old mother could be sent far away for rehab.
Weiss’ mother ended up in the hospital weeks ago after getting a Pneumonia infection.
As someone who has mobility issues, this ended up affecting Weiss’ mother since her muscle mass deteriorated from a lack of walking.
Since she needed rehab, Weiss’ mother was put on a waiting list for a short stay bed (SSB). For Weiss, this could mean her mom ends up being hours away from her.
Under the SSB policy, patients could be sent to the most appropriate bed with a radius of 150 kilometres from their preferred location.
“If we were far apart, it would be very difficult on her,” said Weiss.
Weiss mentioned her mother can get very anxious when she is away.
As someone who works full-time with animals and has a house to look over, Weiss could only see her mother once a week if they were sent far away.
Since families are required to help out with care, Weiss needs to provide her mother with oxygen supplies and medical equipment while doing her laundry.
With her other family members living out of town or dealing with their own medical issues, Weiss is the only one with time to help her mother.
If Weiss chose to refuse the SSB, they would be given 24 hours to leave the hospital with no rehab given.
Seeking help, Weiss reached out to the Minister of Health, Jeremy Cockrill.
A worker from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) told Weiss her mom may not be sent out of town depending on her mobility.
“No one kind of really helps her too much because there’s not enough staff,” she said.
Weiss was told by workers that her mother could be transferred as soon as this week.
Opposition Rural and Remote Health critic Meara Conway said, “this issue has come up due to massive pressure on tertiary acute care and [a] significant number of patients requiring ‘placement,” whether that be long-term care, rehab, etc.
She referenced the Code Orange that was apparently called in March at the Regina General Hospital. The SHA denied this, stating only overcapacity protocols were put in place.
With overcrowding issues, Conway said there isn’t enough SSB in major cities like Regina and Saskatoon, leading the SHA to turn towards other communities.
In a statement sent to SaskToday, the SHA said, “the health and well-being of seniors is a priority for the [SHA] and we strive to ensure seniors receive care in the most appropriate care environment that can safely meet their needs as close to their home as possible.”
They noted while there is a 150-kilometre radius to send a patient, it merely acts as the outer limit for consideration.
“The SHA will always work with patients and their families to try to keep patients as close as possible to their home, family and support.”
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