Nykole King
Regina Leader-Post
Joanne Weiss used to see her 85-year-old mom Verna every day. But now that she’s been placed in a long-term care facility 150 kilometres from Regina, it’s become once a week at most.
Verna Weiss has struggled with a fused spine for decades, but her mobility declined recently and she requires oxygen. She was relocated on Oct. 7 to a long-term care home (LTC) in the community of Lestock, Sask., which is quite a distance from the house she and her daughter shared in Regina.
“I just want to be home; there’s nothing like being at home,” Verna told the Regina Leader-Post. “I can’t get in my house anymore … It’s an old house and you can’t get my wheelchair through the doors. At least we can see each other each in Regina, but out here I can’t see anybody. It’s hard.”
A difficult transition
Phone calls with family haven’t lessened the loneliness she’s felt at times. Verna has been forced to miss important events like her nephew’s funeral on Nov. 11 because hiring an ambulance for transportation would cost too much.
It’s been a difficult adjustment for the Weiss family and for Verna, who was moved the further possible distance under the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA) placement guidelines.
“When an individual is approved for LTC, they move to the first available appropriate home based on their care requirements within a 150-kilometre radius of their home,” an SHA spokesperson said in a recent email to the Leader-Post.
Verna’s home in the North Central neighbourhood is 151 kilometres from the care home when travelling north on Highway 6, or 143 kilometres if you take the westbound route on Trans-Canada Highway.
The SHA says it considers a number of factors during its comprehensive assessments for patient placement, including functional ability, cognition, mental health and social supports.
“We strive to achieve the best possible placement for residents requiring LTC, with the intention to always care for patients in an appropriate care setting as close to home as possible,” said an SHA spokesperson.
The Regina service area — which includes SHA-operated or contracted LTC homes as far away as Emerald Park, Lumsden and Cupar — has 1,374 of the province’s 8,823 total LTC beds as of March 31, according to an emailed statement from the Ministry of Health.
The Saskatoon service area has 1,727 beds, it added.
Joanne Weiss says there should have been plans to expand province-run LTC homes long ago to meet the needs of her mom’s generation.
“Nothing’s really been done about it and so it is frustrating,” she said.
‘Complicated and frustrating’
Prior to the move, Joanne had been her mom’s caregiver for the past 15 years. But when Verna caught pneumonia before the Easter holiday, she required more help and monitoring than the daughter could provide at their home.
“She’s 85 and so the thought of leaving her home was pretty scary to start with,” Joanne said. “Never mind being sent to basically a town neither of us had been to before.”
They had hoped to find a facility nearby, but there were few with space available. The lowest price for a private facility was $4,800 per month, Joanne said, which is beyond what Verna could afford.
The more affordable alternative was to apply for a facility under the SHA, but the closest suitable location was deemed to be northeast of Regina in LeStock.
According to the Ministry of Health, the average wait time for people from Regina to be placed in a facility is 56 days while the rest of the province, including Saskatoon, is 33 days.
The ministry said an additional 112 beds will be made available in Regina by January 2026 and a new 240-bed specialized LTC centre is also slated for construction.
However, uncertainty remains for Verna’s family members, who find it difficult knowing she could have to wait months or years before a spot opens up.
“It’s complicated and frustrating and I wanna be with my mom,” added Joanne. “I wanna be close to her.”
