Manitoba seniors waiting for care home beds pay over $15M in fees to hospitals over 3 years
CBC
The critical shortage of nursing home beds in Manitoba means seniors are spending months in hospital waiting for a space at a personal care home, and current policy means they are paying as much as $101 daily to live there.
A longstanding policy allows regional health authorities to charge a person who is deemed ready to move into a nursing home a daily residential fee — even if a bed isn't available.
CBC News has learned over the last three years, Manitobans have paid over $15 million in residential fees while staying at a hospital waiting for transfer to long term care.
Margaret Drawson, 83, paid more than $2,600 to the Interlake-Eastern Health Authority for her 87-year-old husband to live in a hospital in Pinawa, Man.
Her husband, Gordon, 87, waited three months, because there were no personal care home beds available near his home in Lac du Bonnet, approximately 90 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.
"The problem is when you start to pay at the hospital, you pay the same as you pay at the nursing home," she said.
"And there is nothing going on there... You're also sharing a room with someone else all the time, and there are no activities."
Figures provided by regional health authorities show there are currently over 340 Manitobans waiting in hospital for a bed in long term care. Another 523 are waiting in the community.
Gordon Drawson spent decades working as a firefighter in Winnipeg before retiring in 1995 as a district chief, and has been married to Margaret for 62 years.
About three years ago, Gordon's health began to decline. Three months ago, he stopped being able to walk, giving Margaret no choice but take him to the hospital on Aug. 6.
This began what Margaret called the "waiting game." She travelled the 20-minute drive to Pinawa every day, not knowing when or if he would be moved to a nursing home.
"It is very difficult, very emotional," she said.
Gordon's life in the hospital was monotonous, she said.
He spent most of his time confined to his hospital bed. Margaret would visit him, he would eat in his room, he would watch TV.
Drive south from Calgary on Highway 2 and watch as the speed cuts from 110 kilometres an hour down to 70, then 50, then 30 for a temporary school zone.
The new Ontario Line will include protective barriers at all stations to separate platforms from the tracks, something the Toronto Transit Commission has been considering adding to its subway system for years.
This First Person column is the experience of Andrew Stetson, a writer and storyteller in P.E.I. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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