A couple hundred people attended a forum about the future of seniors residential and hospice care in the Comox Valley, Wednesday at the Comox Community Centre. A group dubbed the Equal Access Committee (EAC) hosted the evening.
The committee is a citizens group committed to ensuring residents receive optimal care and full access to medical assistance in dying (MAiD), without faith-based restrictions. MAiD is a controversial topic, especially in the Comox Valley, now that it’s legalized. St. Joseph’s Hospital does not support the practice because it follows Catholic Health Care Ethical Guidelines.
Dr. Tanja Daws said the number of completed MAiD cases on Vancouver Island are “massive” compared to the rest of B.C. There are relatively more in north Island communities due to an aging population. In the Comox Valley, she notes, all but two of the cases happened at home because there was no choice. Daws was not implying that nurses at St. Joe’s are lacking compassion — it’s more a case of patients and families feeling uncomfortable, paranoid even, when it comes to signing request forms, or feeling compelled to whisper when discussing one’s impending death.
“I can’t imagine how many of you would want to live, or die, this way,” Daws said.
By contrast, she said there have been multiple cases of MAiD at Campbell River Hospital, which operates under a different model and does not necessitate transfers to another facility.
Lisa Saffarek, an RN from Nanaimo, recently lost her father, Horst, who was a Valley resident. At 89, his quality of life had deteriorated to the point where he requested MAiD. He had remarried, and his wife was not comfortable with MAiD, so the only option was a transfer by ambulance to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
“There’s a fine line with MAiD,” Saffarek said, noting questions about one’s capacity to decide between life and death right up to the final moment. “It was unbelievably stressful.”
Horst did not access MAiD because he died the next morning.
“It was a real battle for dad. He was proud Canada passed this law,” Saffarek said. “It was not how he wanted to spend his last few days. It was really devastating.”
St. Joseph’s has announced a partnership with Glacier View Lodge (a local long-term care facility) and Providence Health Care. In response to a submitted question, EAC chair Reg Crone said the Health Minister could prevent the transfer of Glacier View assets to a faith-based organization, if the lodge is sold.
A longtime resident suggested there’s no reason why part of the land at Glacier View couldn’t be turned into a long-term lease to generate revenue. Another suggested the lodge “doesn’t want new members.”
Effie Warden, a nurse at Glacier View, said staff has been kept up to speed on the goings-on.
“No decision has been been made, that’s why it hasn’t gone to the public,” Warden said. “Most of us are in complete agreement because there are so many different factors involved. It’s not just MAiD. There’s more things at stake when you’re talking about 101 residents’ lives. We’re talking about the quality of their life.
“We’re looking to try and find another way to still exist,” she added. “It’s a hard pill to swallow. My job is on the line. What happens if we don’t get those partnerships and we get sold to the next Chinese conglomerate? We’re just as nervous as you guys are.”
The EAC has garnered 1,000-plus signatures on a petition to make residential/hospice care available from secular institutions. It also requests new residential beds in the Valley be granted to a secular institution, and all six community hospice beds located together on a secular site.
The group meets today (Thursday) with the Island Health board of directors.
“Island Health needs to know how we feel,” Crone said.