A woman from Magog launched a real cry from the heart Thursday since her husband suffering from cognitive disorders has been waiting for a place in a CHSLD since he was admitted to the Magog hospital center last September.
Marcel Filion has been hospitalized since September 16. His wife of the past 58 years, Nicole, visits him every day. The lady, however, feels powerless as her husband is withering away one thing leading to another, for lack of stimulation and leisure.
“He doesn’t understand why he’s here. When he sees his situation, he cries and he is so depressed. He told me: “when I wake up, I touch myself and if I see that I am still alive, I cry”. It comes to get me, ”said Nicole Filion with emotion.
The couple do not know when the man will eventually get his place in a long-term center. His wife deplores being left in the void. Despite calls to users’ committees and the Complaints Commissioner, she still has no idea when her husband should leave the hospital to go to a CHSLD.
“It’s very painful,” she explained. I don’t see the end of that. When I ask questions and ask how many there are in front of him, I am not answered. It’s been four and a half months, will it last another year? That doesn’t make sense!”
The situation of Nicole and Marcel Filion is far from unique. In Quebec, 4,209 people were waiting for a place in a CHSLD, as of January 12, according to data from the Quebec government. In Estrie, 299 people found themselves in this situation, of which 155 had made the request from their home and 84 in a hospital centre.
“The shift we want to make is to ensure that the majority of people do their waiting time at home, to clear hospital beds more quickly. In certain circumstances […]safety is perhaps better in the hospital than at home in the context of needs”, indicated Danika Manseau, director of the Direction of home support and specialized services in geriatrics, disabilities and autism spectrum at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS.
Nicole Filion now hopes that her husband will soon be able to leave the hospital, and that he will finally be brought to a place that suits him.