The Chief Executive Officer of Feather Ridge Care Home in Christopher Lake has called for government support towards the care and treatment of brain injury patients in the home.
Kerrie Elliot the founder of Feather Ridge Care Home explained that over 4,200 families in Saskatchewan have medically fragile children at home with no care and attention from the government because there is no provision for them.
“What is happening is that they are caught in the middle between the government and the social services because there is nothing for them
like a support from the government,” said Elliot.
Friends of Feather Ridge Saskatchewan’s first long-term care home designed specifically for severely disabled and brain-injured youth is hosting an open house at 1 p.m. on Aug. 10 in Christopher Lake.
Elliot is a nurse by profession.
“l’m hopeful that we will be able to find a way to provide appropriate services for the youth and the young adult that are in our system and are currently in Ridge home care been cared for by the home and their parent and hopeful to work something out with the government,” said Elliot.
The home which is run through advocacies, lobbying, and voluntary funding has presented the home proposal to the legislature twice for government support with no response. More support comes from the Canadian Royal Purple Society CRPS and the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association.
“This is where they live out their lives, day in and day out, for decades, with no peers, no activities, and no joy, the only alternative is for the families to care for them at home.They make this immense sacrifice out of love, but it comes with a devastating toll. Exhausted, isolated, and alone they are continually forced to fight for basic support and services within home. government systems,” said Elliot.
Feather Ridge Care Home, with 14 nurses, currently care for medically complex youth, some as young as 9 years old,with 18 people on the waiting list with just 10 beds housed with seniors.
“The whole idea is new and we know that anything new gets difficult at the initial stage before been accepted by the society. As a nurse l saw a gap in the system where there was no care for, so we have been advocating for government support since last fall. We requested an officer in the Ministry of Health to pay the nurse but this support was declined by me because they want the rest of the expenses to be paid by the family of the patient,” said Elliot.
