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SYDNEY, N.S. — Laurie Fennell was "shocked" when the doctor at Cape Breton Regional Hospital said her father was dying at the end of May. 

Michael Fennell, 79, was in good physical and cognitive health before being admitted on Jan. 29 for observation after a fall.

Laurie and her family were in even more shock when about two weeks after being admitted to hospice, doctors informed them his condition was now stable and he was being discharged. 

If they could care for him, he would be discharged home. If they couldn't, it would be into a long-term care facility but since there are no beds available, it would be to the regional hospital where he is no longer a patient and needs to pay. 

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Unwashed, unwell: Cape Breton woman calls father's care at hospital "deplorable"

Glace Bay family files complaint about father’s death at Cape Breton Regional Hospital

Laurie and her brother had prepared their mother for the death of her husband and arranged to have her move back to Ontario with them. 

Now, they are struggling to understand why their father's health deteriorated so quickly and questioning the standard of care at the regional hospital.

"I have been, actually, having anxiety attacks to the point where my heart is palpitating almost all the time because I can't figure out what to do here," said Fennell, who spoke to the Cape Breton Post on Aug. 18.

"My mom is a basket case and trying to figure out how she's going to pay for his bed in hospital (and long-term care)."

X-rays done after Michael's first fall didn't show broken bones. Laurie said her father was kept in for observation. 

During this time, roughly two weeks after being admitted, doctors noticed Michael's breathing was laboured. An examination showed he had a collapsed lung. 

After trying to treat it and the lung not staying inflated independently, Laurie said her father was examined again. This time, doctors found fluid which they believed was on Michael's lungs that they said needed to be drained. 

Laurie believes they were draining the fluid for about three or four weeks when doctors found Michael had an infection in his lungs. 

For about three weeks, the specialist at the regional hospital tried to treat the infection with different antibiotics. They told the Fennell family the infection appeared to be antibiotic resistant and that they didn't think Michael would be a candidate for surgery due to his age. 

At this point, a specialist in Halifax was consulted. Michael wasn't getting better and it was decided he could go through surgery, which he had on March 20.

Michael stayed in the hospital in Halifax until he recovered from the surgery. Once cleared, doctors released him to Cape Breton Regional Hospital for rehabilitation, which would include physiotherapy to help him begin walking again; almost two months in bed had left him unable to do so unassisted. 

Things didn't go smoothly and in April, doctors at the regional hospital found the infection had returned. 

Treatments began again until the end of May when the doctor treating her father called and asked her to attend a family meeting in Sydney to discuss her father's condition. 

At the meeting, they were told no treatments were working on the infection, which appeared to be antibiotic resistant and there was nothing else they could do. 

The doctor told the family Michael had three weeks to three months to live and to get his affairs in order. 

Grief counselling was set up by the hospital and Michael was discharged from hospital and admitted into hospice. 

Laurie and her brother helped her mother deal with her grief while also beginning their mourning. Over a couple of weeks, the family made a plan for Lorraine to move to Ontario after the funeral and the house was cleaned out in preparation. 

During this time, Michael, who often questioned his daughter about why he wasn't still getting treatment for the infection, had a fall from his bed. Doctors discharged him from hospice to be readmitted to the regional hospital for x-rays and examination. 

The doctor at hospice also asked Michael if he wanted to be reexamined in regards to his infection. The family was told he had been asking for that and Michael said yes. 

This exam showed Micheal was stable and the doctor attending to Michael at the hospital told the family he was stable and no longer able to stay in hospice. 

Michael was also being discharged from the regional hospital as he was stable — not getting better or worse. The family was told to find a way to care for him at home, something Lorraine wasn't able to do. Or he would have to be moved to a long-term care facility but no beds were available. Until he could get a space there, there would be a charge for his bed at the regional hospital. 

About 10 days after this call, Laurie said the hospital started calling for payment of Michael's bed. 

"We are still processing the fact that he's not dying and they're calling asking for payment," Laurie said. 

The room Michael has been in since being moved from hospice at the end of June is small. Laurie said it is a former private single room which has been turned into a double.

Although there is a closet, it's on the other patient's side of the room and inaccessible to Michael. 

The other bed is for patients of the hospital, which Micheal isn't anymore. Since his status changed to someone waiting for a long-term care bed, Laurie said they have been appalled at the lack of cleaning of his side of the room and personal hygiene. 

"He has a two-drawer dresser which kinda looks like a nightstand. Which is filled with wet wipes none of his clothing has been put in there," said Laurie. 

"His clothing is in a reusable bag and they don’t actually dress him, they keep them in a Johnny shirt."

Laurie said they often find his stuff on the floor, including medications he's dropped, and they've seen him wait 10 minutes for assistance to use the bathroom. This is when Laurie said he gets frustrated, tries to walk and falls. 

To her knowledge and from what she can tell, Laurie said her father has not been given a sponge bath since he's been there by health care or continuing care staff. Often they find his laundry soiled and take it home to wash. 

The only time they find the room is cleaned is when the other bed is being switched to a new patient. 

Laurie said the side of the room her father is on is so small only one person can fit in at a time and their requests to have him moved haven't been accommodated.

An interview request with a representative with Nova Scotia Health (NSH) could not be accommodated.

Questions the Cape Breton Post provided via email had to be answered by people in different departments. Some were answered via email. Questions are of a general nature and not specific to Michael Fennell's situation. 

People can be released from hospice when "their ‘goals of care’ change or their level of care changes. Part of a hospice assessment includes a discussion with patients and families regarding what hospice, as a setting of care, can offer and not offer. A patient can change their plan of care at any time and will then be cared for in the most appropriate setting of care to meet their needs/wishes." How often this happens was not provided. 

"My mom is a basket case and trying to figure out how she's going to pay for his bed in hospital (and long-term care)." — Laurie Fennell

NSH said cleaning of rooms occupied by people waiting for long-term care spaces is daily and continuing care assistants help as much as a patient needs.

In response to hygiene for patients, the NSH said, "Hygiene for patients is individualized based on their specific care needs and ability to carry out activities related to daily living (i.e. are they independent, require assistance or require full care by a nurse or care team assistant). If patients are mobile, they are encouraged to walk to the bathroom or are offered a bedside commode or bedpan. If patients require assistance with hygiene after toileting, nurses and care team assistants would support this need."

The cost for a hospital bed while waiting for a long-term care space is up to $110 and is dependent on individual situations such as annual income and marital status. This is the same as a space in a long-term care facility.

On Friday, Lorraine received a call from Michael to tell her a long-term care spot has been found for him. However, they don't know where and this worries Lorraine since she doesn't drive and NSH can place Michael in a spot up to 100 km away. 

And Laurie can't help but feel something about the care her father has received at Cape Breton Regional Hospital might not have been up to par.

Nicole Sullivan is a diversity and education reporter, who sometimes covers the health beat, for the Cape Breton Post. 

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