Family devastated after elderly man dies following treatment at White Rock hospital

There’s a heartbreaking update to a story from May about a senior who went to Peace Arch Hospital with acute shoulder pain but ended up with a broken hip and never returned home.

Denise Kainz tells 1130 NewsRadio her father, 97-year-old Clifford Anderson, has died.

She says over the Easter long weekend, her father — a retired airline pilot who had been living at an independent retirement residence in South Surrey, was rushed to the hospital for his shoulder.

Kainz says he was admitted, although she doesn’t know if his bed was in the hall or a room.

He spent the night there. Kainz says, on the following day, when he was set to be released, staff found him on the floor — he suffered a broken hip. She blames the fall on his bed guardrails having been lowered.

The Vancouver woman explains that doctors did hip surgery within 48 hours, despite the risks and the fact the family wasn’t fully on board.

But after that, Kainz says his health began to decline, and on Jun. 21, he passed away.

“He basically died of malnutrition and dehydration.”

She says Anderson, who was still pretty sharp cognitively, was moved from the hospital to the Weatherby Pavilion, a transitional unit for those who will end up requiring long-term care, and has a theory as to why.

“The short story is they needed the hospital bed. I couldn’t believe it. He was in this little room, all by himself and there was nothing. He wasn’t attached to anything. It was nothing. I did want to speak with the doctor who sanctioned the, but it was like pulling teeth to find out which doctor sanctioned that move. Nobody talked to me,” said Kainz.

She says in her father’s last couple of weeks, he had stopped eating and drinking.

“The nurse who was in charge of him kind of laughed and said, ‘All his vital organs are fine.’ He basically died of malnutrition and dehydration, really.”

She says she was able to tell him she loved him, but points out he was no longer speaking in the lead-up to his death.

Through tears, Kainz admits she’s struggling with the loss.

“[I’m] not very emotionally stable sometimes. I have so much to take care of that, you know, you just put on a different hat. Obviously, he was old, but it doesn’t matter. Anybody that loses anybody, regardless of age, it’s a loss. For me, it’s really how it happened, how it was handled and the disconnect within our medical system.”

She’s pushing for an overhaul of B.C.’s health-care system, and is warning others to advocate for themselves as they navigate it.

“I think [a hospital] is the worst place to be. I think the wrong decisions that are made end up costing the taxpayer a lot more money as well. It’s really bad.”

Kainz says she did reach out to some local law firms to help take on the Fraser Health Authority (FHA) but says that option is no longer on the table.

She says lawyers warned her how hard it can be to take on such a large entity, and it would take years and be costly, and, given her father’s advanced age, it’s unlikely a lawsuit would go anywhere.

“I totally understand that.”

For now, Kainz is focusing on a celebration of life for her father as the family plans to scatter his ashes around some of his favourite spots around Metro Vancouver.

In an emailed statement to 1130 NewsRadio, Fraser Health says it can’t comment on Anderson’s care, but it’s sorry for the loss Kainz and her family are experiencing.

“We are sorry to hear that they have concerns about their loved ones care at Weatherby Pavilion. We recognize how difficult it is to lose a family member, and we understand how distressing it can be when questions remain about their experience. It is important to us that all patients and their families feel supported and heard during their time in our care, and we regret that this has not been the experience for this person.”

It also suggests if Kainz isn’t happy with the level of care her father received, she can file an official complaint with the Patient Care Quality Office (PCQO). She says she’s already done that.