Fredericton man with Down Syndrome, dementia spent 131 days in hospital; his family says he didn’t need to

A Fredericton man with Down Syndrome and dementia spent 131 days in hospital and his family says he didn't need to.

Jamie Aird has the type of smile that’s got to be more contagious than the common cold – he has everyone around him grinning in seconds.

The 59-year-old Fredericton man has Down Syndrome and dementia, and those familiar with the condition know he’s beating the odds.

Jamie spent more than 25 years working at the local Co-op as the egg manager, and became a well-known face in the community.

But a broken hip last June landed him in hospital for so long, his family says, that infectious smile became a rarity.

“He wasn’t happy, most of the time. Jamie’s a very sociable person, so if he was talking to people he’d be happy, but if he was stuck in his room, he wasn’t. He spent a lot of time in bed, or in a wheelchair, sitting up, sleeping,” said Jamie’s brother, John Aird.

Jamie had surgery, but recovery was slow. John felt there wasn’t enough staff to help rehabilitate Jamie’s movement, so one week led to several months.

“They didn't understand the Down Syndrome side of him, so they would talk to him in a language he didn't understand. They would talk medical terms. They would say, you know, ‘Do you need a bowel movement?’” John explained. “He doesn’t understand that… The hospital staff was good. They are understaffed, overworked. I don't want to say they didn't know what they were doing, but there was not a good understanding of the Down Syndrome side of things, plus the dementia, which made it difficult.”