Sask. mother says her vulnerable son desperately needs care, housing

A desperate Regina mother fears her adult son won't survive much longer if he doesn't get the help he needs.

Pam Sanderson says her son Keith was born with a cognitive disability. He now suffers from mental illness, addiction, permanent psychosis and fits of violence.

Sanderson says there are Saskatchewan facilities that handle people with these multiple, complex needs, but they're full and the waitlist is long.

She's hoping someone will help Keith before it's too late. She also wants better support for others in the same situation.

"It's not his fault, it's his illness," Sanderson said in an interview from her Regina home.

"Due to all of his mental health diagnoses, he runs in a psychotic state all the time, so he's not in our current reality. He talks to people that are not there. He hears voices in his head all the time."

CBC News has been covering Sanderson's situation for years, including when she went to the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in 2018 to complain about gaps in addictions and mental health services, and again in 2020 when she says he fell through the cracks in B.C. as he cycled through jail and slept on the streets in Victoria. 

Sanderson said that she'd like Keith to live with her, but it's just not possible. He once punched her in the face while she was driving 100 km/h down a highway.

Keith also can't live on his own. He was recently kicked out of yet another hotel.

"The owner called every motel and hotel in the area and basically said don't rent a room to this guy because he's unsafe, he's dangerous, he's a danger to himself and he's a danger to all of our customers that are in our motels." said Sanderson.

She said shelters are not an option, as Keith is a danger to others.

Sanderson said Keith is also extremely vulnerable on the street.

"He has no concept of how cold it is here in Saskatchewan. Sometimes, he will walk the streets with only a jean jacket and long sleeve shirt on," she said.

"He's unable to care for himself at all now. He's been in two different motels. He doesn't take care of his physical well-being. He doesn't make good choices for himself."