Roger Arksey, 70, has dementia and has deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to his daughters. The picture on the left is when he arrived in April, while the photo on the right was from September (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

LONG-TERM CARE VISITATION

Desperate for time with aging father, Kamloops family calls on province to ease visitation restrictions

Nov 5, 2020 | 5:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — Stacie Schanzenbach is dropping off a Starbucks for her dad Roger at Brocklehurst Gemstone Care Centre, but she can’t physically see him.

All she can do is pass the frappuccino on to staff at the front door. She’s only allowed to see him once a week for a visit through glass.

“It’s been really hard. My dad lived with us for two years prior to going into long-term care, so to just all of a sudden be cut off with no contact has been hard on us, and him I’m sure,” said Schanzenbach.

Stacie’s dad has been at Gemstone since April, diagnosed three years ago with a severe form of dementia. In the seven months since he’s been at the Brocklehurst facility, his condition has deteriorated.

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“He was walking and very mobile and talking,” said Schanzenbach before he was admitted to Gemstone. “Now he doesn’t walk at all. He needs assistance to get out of bed. One-word answers to almost anything.”

Schanzenbach feels it may be a little different if family was able to regularly see him. This week, the B.C. seniors’ advocate released a report this week pointing to just what Roger is dealing with — restrictions that are harming health in long-term care homes.

Other seniors’ advocates like Terry Lake say it’s time to lift restrictions based on a region’s COVID numbers.

“Think about Vancouver Island or the Kamloops region, for instance, there’s very little COVID, very little risk of spread into long-term care,” said Lake, the CEO of the BC Care Providers Association and also the former B.C. Health Minister. “Of course we need to take precautions, but why would we have the same restrictions here for visitation and reuniting families with loved ones in care that we would take in Fraser Health?”

Lake wants health authorities to determine who is essential to go in and take care of a loved one, as well as other family members.

“There should be another social visit that’s designated, and perhaps that could rotate among family members,” he said. “There are extra staff that nursing homes have hired thanks to funding from the provincial government to help with visitor screening an assisting them with their visits, so we’re capable of handling this and it’s time we reunited families.”

It’s what Schanzenbach and her family would love, so they can ensure their dad is keeping as well as he can during these uncertain times.

“Our biggest hope is that we can just spend time with our dad,” she said. “These are his golden years. He’s given his whole life to us and we just want to be there for those last bits of his life to give him the attention back that he deserves.”