N.B. man says wife now needs wheelchair after 9-month hospital stay
Global News
Frank Darlow of New Brunswick said his wife, who has dementia, spent so much time lying down in hospital while waiting for a long-term care spot that she now needs a wheelchair.
A New Brunswick man says his wife’s nine-month hospital stay while waiting to be placed in long-term care led to long-term health impacts due to hospital staff not having the time to properly care for her.
Frank Darlow of Shediac said his wife Reba Sully was first admitted to the Moncton Hospital on Aug. 12, 2021, after it became clear her dementia had progressed to the point she could become violent.
She only left in mid-May 2022 when a place opened up for her at the Villa Providence residence in Shediac.
He alleges his wife was restrained to her hospital bed for the majority of her nine-month stay, wearing only a hospital gown as staff did not have the resources to dress her.
“They left her bedridden from the time she went in there right up until she left,” he said.
“They told me to bring her clothes home. She would not be getting dressed in the hospital again. … She remained in hospital gowns from day one … over nine months. They told me it was too hard to dress her.”
He claims that because she spent so much time lying down, she now needs a wheelchair, which wasn’t the case before her hospital stay.
He said that now that she is in a special care home, her condition has improved now that she can get dressed every day and get out of bed.
