Tom Armstrong just wants his 95-year-old father Roy to receive adequate health care.

“My dad wants to be in the Veterans’ Village. How sad is that? He needs to digress to get there. He needs to get sicker, and we’re hoping he will. How sad is that?” said Armstrong, who’s been told his father, a veteran, doesn’t qualify for long-term care.

Armstrong’s father has been in Royal University Hospital since recently suffering a heart attack. His doctor said he now needs long-term care, according to Armstrong.

“He said he’ll never go back to his care home. He can’t go back to his care home. He needs to go to a nursing home. That’s the next step.”

Armstrong said he still isn’t sure where his father will go once he’s released from hospital, despite his father recently signing documents regarding where he’ll live when he’s released. Armstrong never saw the documents even though he has power of attorney.

Armstrong’s father has a long list of health problems. He’s had multiple heart attacks and has bone, prostate and bladder cancer, but was recently told he doesn’t meet the Saskatoon Health Region’s standards for long-term care.

“Because of the high demand for long-term care, the threshold for long-term care is quite high,” said Maura Davies, CEO and president of the health region.

“What we do know is if we had more long-term care as an option, or more community resources, then perhaps more people could access that care, but now we’re rationing that care.”

Lack of long-term care resources is a problem across the province, she added.

Provincial NDP leader Cam Broten said stories like Armstrong’s are too common in the province.

“What really needs to change is an attitude and a culture within seniors care in the province where families are treated with respect and where it’s not a struggle and a fight,” Broten said.

The provincial government released a statement Friday afternoon saying in part that they continue “to invest in building long-term care spaces and replacing older infrastructure.

“This year’s Ministry of Health Budget includes funding for additional long-term care beds in Prince Albert, as well as planning dollars for long-term care projects in Regina and La Ronge.”

The capital budget includes $8 million for upgrades to Saskatoon’s Parkridge Centre, according to the province.