Senior hospitalized with multiple infections suffered neglect in care home, children allege
CBC
An Alberta senior with dementia who was admitted to hospital with multiple serious infections suffered medical neglect at her nursing home, her children allege.
Patricia Knebel, 74, was admitted to hospital on Christmas Day, nine months after she moved into the Barrhead Continuing Care Centre in Barrhead, 120 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
Family members allege that the care centre, which is operated by Alberta Health Services, failed to monitor and meet Knebel's most basic health needs.
Alberta Health Services is investigating the family's allegations. The family met with AHS management on Jan. 19 and Jan. 23 to detail their concerns.
Critics say Knebel's case illustrates the urgent need for government to fix systemic issues with staffing and resident care in Alberta's continuing-care facilities.
"They need to be held accountable," said Bobi-Jo Knebel, one of Patricia's four children and her designated decision-maker. "We want better for Mom and for the other residents."
Her children say Knebel, who is non-verbal, was suffering from thrush (a yeast infection in the mouth), a vaginal yeast infection, a urinary tract infection, a kidney infection and a blood infection.
Her catheter was blocked, she had a fever and was diagnosed with dehydration, they allege.
Bobi-Jo said doctors told the family they believed that the urinary tract infection had gone untreated for so long that it had made Knebel septic.
Her medical status in hospital is detailed in the formal complaint under review by health officials.
"She had a plugged catheter that gave her a UTI. She also had a kidney infection and she was septic. So from all the infections, it was now in her blood," Bobi-Jo said. "On top of that, she had pneumonia and that was giving her heart failure," she said.
"She was riddled with infections, which just kept compounding."
Knebel remains in hospital in Barrhead.
Kari-An Knebel, a former nurse, can't fathom how her mother became so ill while in care or how the progression of her infections went undetected by facility staff.
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