Hundreds of Alberta seniors face losing doctor home visits as debate about physician fees heats up

Shirley Bremault was shocked when she found out the family doctor who visits her Calgary retirement community once a week is closing up shop at the end of August. 

"Seniors need that care and now we don't have it," said Bremault. "We're very upset."

Bremault lives in United Active Living's Fish Creek location, which includes an independent living and assisted living facility. 

According to Bremault, residents were told the fees doctors get paid by the province to conduct home visits had been cut by 20 per cent and her physician felt his practice was no longer financially viable.

"We have people with diabetes that need to be monitored," she said. "We have people with cognitive issues that need to be monitored. We have people in wheelchairs that have health issues. I don't know where they're going to get their care from now."

This situation is unfolding at a time when Alberta is experiencing a shortage of family doctors.

Bremault started a petition and wrote about her concerns to the province's health minister, the premier and others.

"There's a lot of people in limbo — a lot of people missing a lot of sleep — because we don't know what to do now."

Arianne Brady, vice-president of marketing and communications with United Active Living, said 60 residents at its Fish Creek and Garrison Green locations will be impacted.

"We're concerned about the overall impact on health long term as a result of not having such direct in-home access to a primary care provider," she said, adding many residents have limited mobility and are without access to vehicles. 

"[It] may mean folks ... end up in emergency rooms, which is a much more expensive cost to our health-care system than some of that preventative care."

Bremault is one of hundreds of seniors in Calgary and Edmonton expected to lose their family physicians who are employed through Dr. Tanner Redel's mobile clinic over the next few months.

The Redel Clinic, where Bremault's doctor works, specializes in providing home visits for seniors. It covers over a dozen seniors facilities in both cities.

"Most of our doctors have already left or given their official notice to end their clinic by the end of the summer," he said.