Manitoba families still hurting support Shared Health's new in-person visitation rules

A Winnipeg family that wasn't permitted to visit a loved one in dire condition in a hospital in September hopes upcoming changes at personal care homes and hospitals in the province will allow for enhanced visitation.

Manitoba hospitals and personal care homes will afford more in-person visits starting this week. The visitation changes reflect the public health orders, while taking into consideration COVID-19 hospitalization rates and the number of outbreaks in facilities, according to Shared Health.

However, changes to in-person visitation may vary by health region and individual facility.

Alfred Jobse died on Sept. 3, less than 24 hours after collapsing at his home.

His wife of 44 years, Theresa Jobse, and daughters Cindy McKague and Alicia Thwaites were by his side when he passed, but according to a letter sent to Manitoba Health Minister Audrey Gordon, Alfred spent 12 of his last 18 hours alone in an emergency room bed at the Health Sciences Centre.

Thwaites said it was challenging to get any sort of update with regards to how her dad, who had been diagnosed with stage three esophageal cancer the previous April, was doing. Her mom was not allowed to be with her husband in the ambulance ride or in the emergency room with him.

"If you are a stage three, possibly stage four cancer patient on some pretty significant pain medication, you would think that having somebody there to assist with potential decisions would be an allowable thing," Thwaites said Tuesday.

It wasn't until the family was asked what Alfred's end-of-life wish was that he was able to see his wife and daughters one final time.

"I am still having nightmares about it," Jobse said.

Under the new visitation rules, two fully vaccinated essential care persons will be allowed to see a loved one in acute care, but they must visit one at a time.

Jobse believes there was room to let "my tiny person" sit quietly beside her husband and answer any questions doctors may have had about her husband.

Shared Health also announced general visits will be expanded for fully vaccinated visitors in hospitals, with one visitor allowed at a time. The number of visitors will be determined by the facility, and they must adhere to physical distancing.

Visits must happen during visiting hours at hospitals, and people are encouraged to call ahead of time.

The past five-plus months have felt like an "insurmountable mountain, Thwaites said, due to the state of the province's health-care system. But she hopes the visitation changes will benefit other families at such a difficult time.