Daughter of 89-year-old in Saskatoon care home worries about quality of care amid COVID-19 outbreak

A 62-year-old Dalmeny-area woman has removed her mother from a Saskatoon-area care home after she says she became worried about the quality of care her mother had been receiving over the last few weeks.

The woman, who doesn’t want her name or her mother’s name revealed, fears her mother could suffer repercussions should she return to the home at some point. Nevertheless, she says it’s important to sound alarm bells regarding the quality of care at times.

An outbreak was declared at the Rehoboth Elder Care Home on Nov. 9. Since then, at least four residents have tested positive for COVID, while several staff members are in isolation. Additional care workers have been brought in to relieve those in quarantine.

The woman says at one point staff told her that if she was unhappy with the care there, she could simply take her 89-year-old mother home. But that would present another major dilemma for her.

“Well, (the mother) is in a wheelchair. She needs help,” the woman said. “To bring someone into my home who I know has been exposed to COVID-19 and … jeopardize my husband’s health is a huge moral dilemma for me.

“What do you do? I’m being asked to sacrifice one for the other. We just celebrated one year that he has been out of the hospital.”

Some of the concerns the 62-year-old raises include a request in the last two weeks for families of residents to make or provide food, only one staff member caring for, providing medication, cleaning and cooking for all residents remaining at the home, and a long wait period — nearly a week — for COVID test results. She says her mother was given one sponge bath in 10 days.

The woman says she understands that care workers need to isolate and that many are simply exhausted. However, she also doesn’t want the elderly residents, many of whom can’t speak up for themselves, to suffer and for families to worry.

“I really think that everyone thinks that they’re doing the best that they can,” the woman said. “However, from my own personal experience, when I become overwhelmed and exhausted, I’m not really doing the best that I can.

“My biggest concern is the lag in response time. If your house is going up in flames and it takes a week to get help even though help is there, it’s pretty scary.”

The home’s owner, who will only identify herself as “Bisi,” and a care home worker named Leanne, who has been at the home for one week, dispute the woman’s claims. According to Leanne, the home’s manager resigned two days ago because of stress-related issues. Two other families have also taken their elderly family members out of the home.

While Leanne admits there have been staffing issues, she says the quality of care has not been compromised.

“The staff has had to self-isolate until they get their (test) results,” she said. “So in the meantime, the manager and owners have called in to see if they know anybody who can come in and help.

“I’ve worked in many care homes and considering the outbreak and everything going on, everything’s working good here. Everybody’s trying everything they can to take care of the clients.”

The care worker says the former manager did ask families whether they could provide “a couple of meals” until she could find extra help for cooking.

“A couple of families offered to come and bring in some pre-cooked meals just to alleviate the stress and actually I was on the phone with (the 62-year-old woman) and the (former manager) and (the woman) was saying, ‘I felt obliged to come and bring food and stuff’ and (the former manager) said, ‘I didn’t say you are obliged, I just asked if anybody could help out,’ ” Leanne said.

Now, Leanne says she is taking on day shifts, and another care worker has the night shift, and two helpers come in to help with cooking and cleaning.

A public health inspector visited the facility on Wednesday. It doesn’t appear as though any major concerns were flagged.

“He has no concerns. He said, ‘You guys are doing everything you possibly can during these circumstances,’ ” Leanne said adamantly.

While that is a step in the right direction, the 62-year-old woman says it’s also the lack of transparency and communication from staff, management and the care home owner towards families that is also extremely worrisome.

“My goal is just to help get my mom the care that she needs which will benefit the other residents in her home which hopefully will benefit other people who don’t have advocates for them,” she said.