Sask. brothers recount nightmare finding adequate care for ailing mother

Paxton Francis never imagined he'd be at the centre of a battle ensuring his ailing mother receives the best care possible during her nearly five months in hospital.

Paxton and his brother Jaron are warning others about the challenges and frustrations with the healthcare system and the importance of advocacy for those who can't advocate for themselves after many weeks of adversity trying to interact with a healthcare system they say is broken.

"My heart feels broken for my mom, and for everyone like her who's trapped in a system that's not protecting us the way it should," Paxton said.

Nearly five months ago, 75-year-old Garnett Francis suffered a stroke at her apartment and was rushed to hospital.

Seeing his mother was confused and barely able to communicate, Paxton asked the charge nurse to call him if there were any concerns.

"Instead of calling me, when I arrived in the morning to visit her again I found restraints hanging from her bed," Paxton said.

"Rather than the staff phoning me, her son, to support her, they chose to tie her to a bed. And that set the tone for the past five months of hospitalization."

Since then, the two brothers have had numerous confrontations with hospital administration and staff overseeing their mother’s care. They've witnessed hospital equipment not working properly, accused hospital staff of not administering required medications and have accused multiple staff members of apathy.

One of Garnett's complications is hepatic encephalopathy, an accumulation of toxins in the brain — a side effect of liver failure from previous cancer treatments years ago.

Francis has been transferred to multiple wards and multiple hospitals in Saskatoon as her son's continually confront the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) about the state of the care she's receiving.

Throughout the process, COVID-19 and its lingering effects have been a constant source of blame, but that's not cutting it for Jaron.

"It doesn't absolve responsibility and it doesn't help if nobody wants to admit to where we are. They just want to say COVID wrecked everything and then not have to deal with it anymore," Jaron said.

"All of those things fall on the patients. So it doesn't help somebody like my mother in any way to say things are broken."

With limited places to direct complaints, and even fewer solutions available, the two brothers are left feeling exhausted and frustrated with a system that isn't functioning as it's supposed to.

"Basically whenever I'm not at work, or whenever I'm not making or fielding phone calls advocating for her, we're there supporting her and trying to give her the illusion that she's safe and comfortable," Paxton said.

One of the main sources of frustration has been trying to transfer Francis to a long-term care facility.

After initially being mislabeled as ineligible for long-term care, Paxton and Jaron had multiple meetings with hospital staff to ensure she'd be put on the waitlist.

During that process, the brothers were shocked to learn how the intake system worked, and how they would be charged $250 a day if their mother refused her first placement and remained in hospital.

"The health region can't provide everything that a person needs. People need their families for support," Paxton said.

Through the Saskatoon Capacity Pressure Action Plan, the SHA says it’s continuing to build capacity so patients can continue to get the right care in the right care environment that they need

"An important component of the action plan is to create long-term care capacity to open spaces in our hospitals for those who genuinely need to be in hospital," a statement from the SHA read.

When a person needs immediate access to long-term care, they are placed in the first available appropriate home. Priority is given to those with greatest needs.

The health authority says "it is expected that individuals move to the first appropriate home with a vacancy and within a 150 kilometre radius of their home."

People need to be prepared to move the following day after being contacted for the vacancy.

The SHA said when an individual moves into a long-term care home and they prefer to be transferred to a home of their choice, they may request a transfer when one is available in that home, provided the home can meet their individual care needs.

A resident has the option to select up to three preferences for their eventual placement in a preferred home.

For the Francis brothers, trying to navigate this system and get their mother the care she needs has been a whirlwind.

"It's just a symptom of how broken it is. That's a lot of people's perspective, not just me and my brother and my mother who've had this hard time," Jeron said.

Garnett has been put on the waitlist for a long-term care home and hopes to be transferred once her health improves.

Paxton is encouraging others to reach out to him so he can help families navigate the healthcare system and advocate for their loved ones.

"Maybe I'll be able to point you in the right direction or in some direction, because I know that that when you first get hip deep in this hospital system and you realize that it's not working, it's a really lonesome and frightening experience," Paxton said.

“It's hard to know what to do next and who to reach out to.”