Redcliff senior with dementia stuck in care limbo at hospital

By Gillian Slade on November 18, 2017.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com  @MHNGillianSlade

Being admitted to hospital to treat sepsis has turned into a six-month stay, and there seems to be no end in sight for a Redcliff resident.

Eva Fodor, 89, also has dementia, and mentally there has been a significant decline while she waits in hospital for placement in the community, says her daughter Monica Hazzard.

Visits to local seniors’ residences asking if they will accept her mother as a resident have been fruitless, said Hazzard, who admits her mother has become problematic in her dementia state and that could be the reason she is rejected for placement in a home.

“I’m concerned about her spending her last days in hospital instead of a dementia care residence,” said Hazzard.

Fodor has been more heavily medicated for her dementia symptoms. She is also being restrained in a chair. She had some falls and they were the reason for that decision, her daughter explained.

Hazzard feels she would rather have her mother falling than to see the extreme agitation she is in because of the restraints. She has been told the only residence in Medicine Hat that would likely accept Fodor is Sunnyside.

“But there is a long waiting list,” said Hazzard.

It raises the question of how many people with severe dementia are aggressive and problematic making it more difficult to place them in seniors’ residences with dementia wings.

Although not able to speak to this specific case for privacy reasons, Grant Walker senior operating officer at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, discussed options.

“We try and create environments where dementia challenges are minimized due to environment,” said Walker, who acknowledges some individuals are difficult to place. “We provide the best care we can and sometimes that is in the hospital.”

There are no specific plans in Medicine Hat to create placement options for the handful of cases that may be hard to place, said Walker. There is something available in Edmonton, though.

“Those who have behaviours that are causing them to be at risk to themselves or staffing we have to have a higher level of care,” said Walker.

One option could be providing additional funding to seniors’ homes accepting those residents. Additional funding could ensure there is one nurse for every resident to handle additional needs.

It costs about $1,500 a day for someone in hospital. Even if it costs $500 per day in funding for special dementia care in a residence it would still be cost effective.

“I think that’s a reasonable approach to consider,” said Walker, acknowledging that being in hospital is not a home-like environment for someone to spend an extended period.

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