Victoria woman says she was called to feed mom in hospital due to staff shortages

A woman whose mother is hospitalized on Vancouver Island says the Omicron wave and related staffing shortages have gotten so bad, families like hers are being called in to feed their loved ones.

Helen Bell says she received a call from Royal Jubilee Hospital Monday morning.

“This morning at 7:45, I got a phone call from the hospital saying that we as a family needed to come in three times for breakfast, lunch, and supper to make sure that my mother was fed,” she tells CityNews.

It’s really jarring to get a phone call at 7:45 in the morning from the hospital saying that they don’t have the staff to take care of a family member. It was a big jolt.”

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Bell’s 87-year-old mother has been in the hospital for three months, and is currently not able to use her hands to feed herself. Bell says her mom also recently went three weeks without a shower.

While officials have warned about the pressure on the healthcare system due to record numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations, and amid staff absences driven by the virus — Bell says she wants people to understand more about what this means for patients.

“Those basic things that you think the hospital should be able to do, it is just so short-staffed because of Omicron. It’s just really tough in the hospitals right now. Basic things like food and cleanliness are being severely affected,” she says, emphasizing she knows the staff at the hospital are doing their best under really difficult circumstances.

“The health care system is under extreme stress. I think it’s hard for us when we are out in the general world to realize that, but none of us knows when we are going to need the healthcare system, whether for ourselves or for a family member, whether we’re going to break a leg or get hit by a bus.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry Health said they could not comment on individual patients, but did provide an update on staff sickness in the Island Health Region. From Jan. 24 to 26, 1,881 health care workers in Island Health were sick due to COVID-19 or other illnesses. That’s about 1,000 more than in Vancouver Coastal Health.

The ministry also says despite “capacity issues,” the province has not instructed health-care facilities to call families for help with routine tasks, like feeding.

“There has been no directive at any level to patients’ families to assist with feeding due to staffing shortages. Capacity issues are not impacting the feeding of patients. Ensuring patients are fed will always be a priority, regardless of capacity issues,” they write in an email.

“Our health care workers are grateful for the involvement of and help from patients’ families. We encourage anyone who is concerned about their care or their loved ones’ care to connect with their Health Authority’s Patient Care Quality Office.”

Bell says she has noticed a marked difference in staffing since cases and hospitalizations began surging in B.C.

“There’s much less care available. They just don’t have the time for those little things that can make a difference. And they seem stressed and worried,” she says.

“It’s really important that we keep the healthcare system operational, not burn out these poor staff and working so hard.”

RELATED: Internationally-educated nurses sidelined as B.C. hospitals face staff shortages

When British Columbia brought in restrictions in late December, again limiting things like personal gatherings and capacity at events and restaurants. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the move was necessary in order to avoid a collapse of the health-care system. Those restrictions are set to expire on Feb. 16.

Bell says she hopes they remain in place long enough to ease the pressure on hospitals.

“I want to see them slow down on the easing of restrictions so that we can get the hospital staff, the hospital system back under control — because it’s not right now. ”

Involving family, visitors in patient care predates pandemic: health officials

Asked about the situation with Bell’s mother, both a spokesperson for Island Health and Minister Adrian Dix said they can not comment on individual cases or patients while making assurances that no one in a B.C. health-care facility is at risk of going without food.

Dix said it is not uncommon for family or loved ones to be involved in the day-to-day care of patients.

“What happens and what happens frequently — and this is before the pandemic and now — is that visitors frequently help with care either because they want, or because the patient who’s a relative, may ask them to, or because the care staff thinks that’s a good idea, and that frequently happened before and after. It’s not an issue of the individuals being called in to do that but that it can be a helpful situation for many involved.” 

“The issue isn’t that people aren’t going to be fed, of course, they’re going to be fed. The question is whether staff ask, for a variety of reasons, for family members to come in and assist. Often that’s a very good thing, sometimes for the family members, sometimes certainly, for the patient.”

He said while staffing challenges are significant, “there’s also no question that everyone is going to be fed.”

Island Health, in a statement, said patients who need help with meals are receiving it.

“On occasion, essential visitors may be asked if they are willing to support their loved one with basic tasks, as this can be very helpful to our teams when we are experiencing particularly challenging staffing issues,” a spokesperson wrote in an email.

“In general, when a patient’s loved ones visit them in the hospital for long periods of time, they are asked if they are willing to assist with the basic care needs of their loved one. This may include feeding or other simple care tasks.”

Both Dix and the health authority also noted there is a complaint process for anyone who has a concern about patient care.