Woman files complaint, considers legal action after elderly father hurt at B.C. hospital

A Vancouver woman is sharing her heartbreaking health care story as her father remains in the hospital almost a month after being admitted.

Over the Easter long weekend, Denise Kainz tells 1130 NewsRadio that her 97-year-old father, who lives with his wife at an independent retirement residence in South Surrey, was rushed to Peace Arch Hospital with severe shoulder pain.

She says he was admitted, although she doesn’t know if his bed was in the hall or a room. He spent the night there, and the following day, Kainz says that when he was set to be released, staff found him on the floor — he had suffered a broken hip.

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She’s been told that he fell out of his stretcher, and she questions whether the guard rails were up.

“He’s wonderful and now he’s probably going to pass away within the next, I don’t know, maybe month, maybe week. It’s over,” she explained.

Kainz says she’s been trying desperately to get answers about how this happened.

Clifford Anderson, 97, suffered a broken hip at Peace Arch Hospital last month. (Courtesy Denise Kainz)
Clifford Anderson, 97, suffered a broken hip at Peace Arch Hospital last month. Clifford is sitting with his daughter, Denise Kainz. (Supplied)

“I was just wanting to know, how did this actually happen? And I called several times, talked to nurses, could not ever get a hold of the nurse who found him. I’m not yelling, I’m not accusing, I would just like to know, how did it happen?” she said.

“I was told that it would be escalated. It never was, because I never received a callback. And then I just spoke the other day to the nurse in charge of the second floor, and what was a little disturbing was she didn’t even seem to know that the broken hip happened in the hospital.”

Kainz has a copy of the original discharge paperwork detailing her father’s ER visit and points out that the broken hip is not on there.

“It actually says that the complaints were general and minor weakness, and it says he had a shoulder issue, and there were no recent trauma or falls,” she said.

Following the fall, her father, a retired airline pilot, underwent hip replacement surgery. Kainz explains she was told that was protocol, despite his age and the increased risks, and claims he hasn’t undergone any physiotherapy.

“He has not been up and out of bed. It’s just very sad because it didn’t have to happen.”

Kainz says there was something surprising that came out of her conversation with the nurse.

“The one thing that she let slip was, ‘There probably weren’t enough nurses,'” she explained.

Kainz says her father is barely eating.

“When I went there, it was right after lunch, and on the side, there was a tray with all his food on it that hadn’t been touched. There’s no way he could even get to it. We were feeding him with a straw a little bit.”

Clifford Anderson, 97, suffered a broken hip at Peace Arch Hospital last month. (Courtesy Denise Kainz)
Clifford Anderson, 97, suffered a broken hip at Peace Arch Hospital last month. (Courtesy Denise Kainz)

Kainz appreciates her father has had a long life, but through tears, admits she’s not ready to let him go.

“There’s no choice. That’s the difficult part of it. When I went and saw him, I had to turn around and go out because, OK, he’s 97 years old, and when it’s not your own family or loved one, you say, ‘OK, they’ve lived long enough,'” she shared.

“I totally understand that, but the thing is, you go to a hospital for care. Our health-care [system] is in a horrible place, and with my father, it’s over, and it didn’t have to be like that. He went to get better, and there was not the care there for him.

“There’s no reason why he should have fallen and broken his hip.”

She adds that this is just another example of a health-care system that feels broken beyond repair.

“I think it’s really important that there is some accountability, and if anything, the communication between all the departments improves, and money will be spent on care, where it seems we’re understaffed. It seems, to me, everything is so ambivalent.”

The Fraser Health Authority (FHA) tells 1130 NewsRadio in a statement that it’s “sorry to hear the concerns this person has shared about their loved one’s experience at Peace Arch Hospital.”



“We understand how upsetting it can be when a loved one experiences an unexpected health outcome. While all surgeries involve inherent risks and our care teams follow rigorous protocols to minimize complications, there are unfortunately, rare occasions where outcomes differ from what was hoped for,” it continued.

“While we will not share details about an individual patient’s care or health condition, we can confirm that the department was fully staffed at the time in question, the patient remains in hospital, and we are in direct contact with their family members.”

The health authority is encouraging anyone with concerns to file a formal complaint.

Kainz says she has done that and is now considering legal action.

You can watch CityNews 24/7 live or listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver to keep up to date with this story. You can also subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

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