'It's very, very sad': Daughter says she was called to Victoria hospital to feed mother due to staffing shortage
Helen Bell got what she describes as an alarming phone call from a nurse at Victoria's Royal Jubilee Hospital on Monday morning, at 7:43 a.m., asking her family to feed her mother because the hospital was too short staffed to do so.
"They needed us to come in and feed my mother for breakfast, lunch and supper, if she was going to get fed today," said Bell on Monday.
Bell's mother, 87-year-old Margaret Mears, is in acute care at the hospital and is disabled. She's unable to use her hands right now to feed herself, so she relies on others to do that.
What’s more, her daughter says Mears has only been given one shower in the past month.
"You just think that those basic things of taking care of somebody—feeding them, cleaning them—should just be something we can take for granted in the hospital," said Bell.
Bell doesn't fault the staff at all, in fact she praises the nurse for doing the responsible thing by seeking help when it was needed.
She says it’s the system that’s stretched too thin by COVID, noting that staff's off work because they're sick, compounding the strain of approximately 1,000 patients in B.C. hospitals with COVID-19.
"Not only are (COVID patients) having a rough time themselves, they’re impacting other people that are in the hospital, and the hospital system is not very robust right now," said Bell.
Bell thinks the public needs to know just how fragile the health-care system is, and how big of an impact COVID-19 is having on the system.
Between Jan. 24 and Jan. 26, more than 1,800 healthcare workers in Island Health were off sick with COVID-19 or other illnesses.
Still, in a statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Health said Monday that capacity issues are not impacting the feeding of patients. However, the ministry noted health-care workers are grateful for the help of patients' families.
There's no disputing the stress that staffing shortages due to COVID have created at hospitals across B.C.
Dr. David Forrest is an infectious disease specialist who works at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. He says the biggest impact he's seen so far is staff being overworked.
"I think the major effect of this is it's causing increasing burnout amongst health-care workers, most particularly nursing staff," said Forrest on Monday.
Island health didn't respond Monday to CTV's request for a comment on this story.
The province told CTV News in its statement Monday that it will have more to announce soon regarding the significant capacity issues for healthcare throughout B.C.
For Bell and her mother, help with staffing and capacity issues is needed now
"Well, she's crying," said Bell when asked how her mother is responding to the situation. "She's not getting good care in the very last bit of her life and it’s very, very sad."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israel attacks Iran, Reuters sources say; drones reported over Isfahan
Israel has attacked Iran, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Iranian state media reported early on Friday that its forces had destroyed drones, days after Iran launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.