After her father spent two days in the emergency room, Patrice Koschman was shocked to see her 81-year-old father being treated in the hospital hallway.
“I immediately started crying and said, 'Dad, I'm sorry, but this is where I'm keeping you,'” Koshman told CTV News Edmonton.
The Edmontonian described how his bed was next to a nursing station at the University of Alberta Hospital and the lights wouldn't turn on because he had no privacy.
“He was ringing the teacher's bell for the nurse to come,” Koschman said.
“Patients were walking around for exercise or just randomly ringing bells.”
Her father remained in the hallway for nearly three weeks, and Koschman said the experience took a toll on his health.
“His health has honestly deteriorated astronomically. As for the dementia, I think it's because of what's going on in that hallway,” she said.
Koshman has joined the Alberta NDP in pushing for better care, including hiring more health-care workers and building a south Edmonton hospital.
“Most of us will need to spend time in hospital at some point in our lives,” Dr. Luanna Metz, Alberta NDP health critic, said at a media briefing Monday.
“We have the right to rely on them in our times of need. No one should have to lose their dignity just because they get sick.”
Dr. Paul Parks, president of the Alberta Medical Association, says paramedics are under intense pressure. In addition to more staff, he says more long-term care options are desperately needed.
“This is not an unusual occurrence,” Parks told CTV News Edmonton.
“This is something we've been talking about for a long time. Our systems are strained to the limit. We're placing patients as best we can.”
Alberta Health Services president and CEO Atana Mentzelopoulos acknowledged spending weeks in a hallway is not quality care and said an investigation into the situation is underway. .
“The details in this case are unfortunate,” Mentzelopoulos told CTV News Edmonton.
“We always strive to put people in the right place to provide the right quality of care. There are times when we have surges and we have to use less-than-optimal space. there is.”
This experience made Koschman less trusting of the system.
“It was truly the most difficult time of my life,” she said.
