Process criticized | Decision angers families, leads to job uncertainty
An official apology to the community of Carmangay for the way Alberta Health Services handled the closure of a long-term care facility will probably not be accepted graciously.
“I think it is a little late now for apologies,” said Kym Nicols, mayor of the village of 275 and a staff member of the Little Bow Continuing Care Centre located north of Lethbridge.
“They’ve uprooted lives and they’ve uprooted families and to say you’re sorry now feels like a slap in the face,” she said.
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Alberta Health Services announced Aug. 9 that a representative would offer the community an apology for the mishandling and poor communication around the impending closure of the centre.
The closure angered families and staff because they were told the 18 elderly residents, all suffering from dementia, must find new premises as soon as possible. So far, eight people who are in their late 80s or early 90s have found new places. One resident moved to a site north of Calgary.
Health minister Fred Horne visited the centre Aug. 8 and told Nichols the facility was not what he expected, but it will still close.
No deadline date has been given.
Nichols’s official layoff notice is expected after the apology is delivered. A nursing attendant and cook, she will have to find a new job and commute from the community.
As mayor, she has never received official notice the facility is closing. Alberta Health Services owns about half a block of property to house the 20 bed centre. The government said the land and building will be assessed once all the residents and staff are gone.
Once the centre is emptied, Nichols fears people will move away, signalling the beginning of the end for the village where there are few businesses or jobs.
“You are taking this out of my community and now my community is not viable. What about rural development? You should be building these facilities in rural communities. It’s quiet, it’s safe, it’s tranquil,” she said.
The community has acknowledged the province will not reverse the decision so they want to advocate for other rural communities in danger of losing health-care centres because they are not considered economical to run.
“I firmly believe, as do other people, that this is just the start of things to come.”
Dave Shorten, acting vice-president for the Calgary rural health zone for Alberta Health Services, said the decision to close was approved in early July.
The main reason for shuttering the site was the high cost of renovations to replace 1950s vintage plumbing, dealing with possible asbestos and making other repairs to meet modern building codes.
The community wants to know what it would cost to renovate, but Shorten said AHS has not assessed the full amount.
To keep beds full the facility has been accepting patients from outside its region.
Some came from Calgary, Okotoks and Strathmore, more than 140 kilometres away.
“Eleven of them came from outside the catchment area,” he said.
Carmangay was unique in that it only looked after dementia patients whereas most communities are offering the concept of “aging in place” where graduated levels of care are provided in one site from supported living space to full 24-hour care.
There is no deadline for closure, but it was felt when the staff learned Carmangay was closing, they would leave and there would not be enough people to care for the remainder of patients.
More notice would have been good to ease the anguish of families, Shorten said.
“I don’t think there is any good time to do this so it is tough for everybody and we will just try to work through it,” he said.
