Ed Jamieson has been confined to a hospital bed for the past month following a fire at his independent long-term care residence in Mission, British Columbia. His family expresses frustration that local health authorities repeatedly pass him over for placement in a publicly subsidized care facility.
The blaze at Chartwell Carrington House on March 9 forced 142 residents to evacuate and destroyed many of their personal belongings. Jamieson initially spent about 45 days at a Chartwell facility in Surrey before being transferred to Mission Hospital.
Family's Financial Strain
Carl Jamieson, Ed's son, has been caring for his father since a stroke in 2013 and has spent roughly $300,000 on his care. This included relocating him from Saskatchewan after he was moved among several facilities there. Carl states, "I just simply can't anymore," adding that it is unjust for his father to occupy a hospital bed needed by others. "We're misspending the money. We're no closer to a solution, and somehow this continues to be OK with this government."
Long-Term Care Bed Shortage
The Jamieson family's case underscores a severe shortage of long-term care beds in British Columbia. Dan Levitt, the province's seniors advocate, reports a current deficit of 2,000 beds, projected to grow to 16,000 over the next decade. Carl Jamieson noted that Chartwell had offered a discount 12 years ago to place Ed at their Mission facility, charging $625 monthly at the time of the fire.
After the fire, Ed received a temporary bed at a Chartwell dementia facility in Surrey, despite not having dementia, at a reduced rate of $4,000 per month instead of the usual $12,000. By late April, Chartwell could no longer accommodate him, leading to his transfer to Mission Hospital. Carl estimates this costs the government about $2,000 daily and occupies a bed needed for someone with greater urgency.
Fraser Health Assessment
Carl said Fraser Health assessed Ed and deemed him eligible for full-time care in a public long-term care facility. Despite being near the top of the list, he continues to be overlooked. "By the 18th of March, they had agreed that, 'Yes, your dad is a candidate for funded living, and he needs full-time care.' They've assured us that Dad is an intolerable risk, meaning he has no place to go and cannot live alone, so he is supposedly top of the list. But he continues to be passed over."
Health Minister Josie Osborne explained that placement is not simply based on a queue; rather, individuals are assessed according to their care needs and matched with facilities that have available vacancies. She stated that Fraser Health is actively working to find a suitable placement for Ed Jamieson.
