By Paul Rudan - Campbell River Mirror
The city's most venerable medical institution is known as the "holding pen" for senior citizens requiring acute health care.
That's the description of Campbell River hospital provided by Anne Beck and others at a meeting Wednesday night to address the inadequacies of health care in terms of seniors requiring residential care.
"Seniors are in four-bed wards, with no extra services," said Beck, who chaired the first meeting of the North Island Seniors Care Coalition.
"No extra services? There's no bathrooms in the rooms," added Jonathan Brenner, the executive director of the New Horizons care facility.
More than 80 people attended the first-ever meeting of the North Island Seniors Coalition, held at the Community Centre. But Beck, who chaired the meeting, wasn't there to criticize hospital staff who do the best job they can with the resources they have, she said.
However, Beck was critical of the arduous and expensive process seniors and their families face when trying to get a loved one into a long-term care facility.
And Beck knows first-hand the difficulties of the system as she deals with her own mother who requires residential care.
She was critical of the "unacceptable delays" created by the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) and all the extra costs that quickly add up in spite of her mom receiving subsidized care.
"My mom is a former nurse who has a pension...and 80 per cent of her income goes to room and board. The extra costs are about $1,500 a month...more than the 20 per cent left," said Beck, who is paying the extra bills for physiotherapy, a wheelchair and other items.
And the extra costs paid for by families are just the "tip of the iceberg" in terms of the enormous resources it takes to provide acute care.
According to Brenner, keeping seniors in hospital can cost up to $24,000 a month in contrast to private facilities, such as New Horizons, which can provide similar care and more services for about $7,000.
Even more troubling and perplexing is the fact there are currently empty beds in the private care homes, said Cindy Headrick, the executive director at Evergreen Seniors Home.
"We opened 22 more beds in December 2009, and we still have eight empty beds," she said.
The problem though isn't a lack of seniors who require specialized care, it's the mind-boggling waiting list managed by VIHA. In basic terms, Brenner and Headrick said there are people being warehoused at the hospital when they could be living, and receiving care, in a residential care facility which offers better amenities and activities for far less money.
But no one had the answer to why there are empty beds in private care facilities, in spite of these homes being contracted by VIHA.
Representatives of the health authority weren't invited to the meeting.
However, the purpose of the gathering wasn't to heap criticism on health care providers, but to organize a committee to help find solutions to the problems.
City councillor Claire Moglove attended and said the myriad issues regarding acute and residential care will be brought to the attention of Health Minister Kevin Falcon at the upcoming conference of the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
And one retired nurse who attended the meeting hopes the minister will listen.
"The North Island seems to be completely forgotten when it comes to health care," she said.
Just about everyone who spoke at the meeting acknowledged the issues are complex and are not just about building more residential care facilities for an aging population. It's also about providing improved home care to allow spouses and families to remain together.
"I've told Martin that he's not going anywhere. I will take care of him for as long as I can...it's terrible what's happening to seniors," said Ruth Amiabel, who's husband, Martin, is a past president of the B.C. Old Age Pensioners Association.
Organizers plan to hold another meeting within a few weeks and will advertise the date, location and time. Their hope is to form a working committee and they're looking for support.
Watch the Mirror for details on the next meeting. For more information, contact Brenner at 250-203-3795 or Headrick at 250-203-8621
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