Editor:
Yes, there is a crisis in care for dementia patients and their caregivers here on the Coast and it is not a new crisis. My husband spent nine months in 2013/14 “living” on the third floor of the hospital awaiting facility placement. It was full of people waiting. It felt like a holding tank: vitals checked, essential assistance given, food provided, drugs dispensed. He spent the better part of a year isolated, depressed, deprived of mental and physical stimulation. As a caregiver who spent every day at the hospital, I felt in turn angry, frustrated, exhausted, ignored, wrung out and helpless. The situation was untenable. The fact that no effort has been made by VCH and the Ministry of Health to do anything about it is immoral and inhumane!
The longer-term solution is to provide more facility beds, with specialized staff, programming and a secure sense of “home.” It’s not a surprise we have an increasingly aging population on the Coast. We knew it 20 years ago. An arbitrary, vague plan for 15 new spaces sometime in the future doesn’t begin to address the numbers of people who will need specialized care.
Critical at this moment is a short-term solution that addresses our needs now. First step is for the Ministry of Health and VCH to recognize the reality of the situation and have the political will for change. That, combined with the energy and caring expertise of our community institutions, professionals and stakeholders, can lead the way to cost-effective, people-centred solutions.
Dementia is an illness that is devastating for the patient, caregivers and families and impacts our communities. The numbers are growing. If we don’t speak up for a system that provides humane care and support, we will be the ones without help when we need it.
Judith Fitzgerald, Gibsons
