Family of man who died 13 days after moving into Saskatoon long-term care facility calls for changes

A family says the long-term care system in Saskatchewan needs to be overhauled, after their father died less than two weeks after moving into a facility.

Donna Fiddler and Colleen Lukan say they hoped the decision to move their parents, Erwin and Margaret Lukan, into a care home would provide them with the care they needed for Erwin's urinary tract infection and Margaret's dementia. 

Instead, after moving the pair into the Saskatoon care home, Erwin's health swiftly deteriorated, they say. 

Despite Erwin having a catheter, his family said staff at the facility seemed unaware of his condition. No one assisted with its maintenance for more than 10 days. 

As they attempted to raise concerns, the family says they were brushed aside. Just 13 days after being admitted, on Aug. 6, 2023, Erwin died. He was 91.

Donna Fiddler and Colleen Lukan had thought the facility was a good location. They didn't find out until after their father's death that, according to provincial records, the Northern Lights Care Home had gone nearly four years without an inspection. 

"You won't know until your parents are in a care home what those workers are capable of doing or not doing," said Colleen.

On Wednesday, Fiddler and Colleen Lukan brought their concerns to the Saskatchewan Legislature. Erwin's death was raised during question period and Fiddler and Lukan finally met with Lori Carr, Saskatchewan's minister responsible for seniors.

Carr called it a "productive meeting." 

"I had the opportunity to hear their story and their journey that they went on, and it's absolutely something that we're going to be looking into," Carr said. 

The minister confirmed that long-term care facilities are supposed to be inspected once a year, or if the facility is in good standing once every two years. 

Carr said the information presented to her showed that an inspection had occurred more recently than shown in the province's online records.

It's not clear why the inspection is not shown online. Carr said she would try to get more information on that.

She also pointed to the province's recent budget, which had more money to hire additional inspectors, as a possible solution to the issues raised by Erwin's family. 

The minister confirmed that she would be looking for information before deciding what actions she would take next. Carr admitted the details provided by Erwin's family are disturbing.

"We want all of our seniors to have the best care they can get when they move on to a nursing home. And so yeah, that does concern me," Carr said. 

Keith Jorgenson, the NDP critic for seniors, said the province has failed to carry out inspections in a timely manner, and says there should have been better assessment of Erwin's needs.

"You had a gentleman whose needs were unknown when they entered a personal care home. So we don't know whether or not that personal care home was an appropriate place for him," Jorgenson said.