93-year-old spent 20 hours in bed because of PSW shortage, says daughter

Mary Doris Abela, 93, spent 20 hours in bed at her home in McGregor, which her daughter says is the culmination of a series of problems caused by a shortage of personal support workers (PSW). 

Abela's daughter, Joanne, who has muscular dystrophy, helps coordinate and provide care for her mother. The two live together.

A four-hour block of respite care was scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. but the worker called in sick, sending the company scrambling to find a replacement, according to Joanne. 

"It caused a lot of stress," Joanne said, because she's unable to lift her mother out of bed on her own due to her own health issues. 

She said the company was "unable to find anybody."

20 hours in bed

She asked the company that schedules the service to replace the four-hour respite shift with a one-hour appointment, so someone could get her mother out of bed.

Eventually, a PSW arrived for an hour shift that started at 6 p.m. that day, leaving her mother in bed for 20 hours.

"l have various health issues so I don't have the physical strength to get her out of the bed, nor do I have the skill," said Joanne.

The pair moved to the Windsor-Essex region four years ago from eastern Ontario, leaving friends and family behind who may have been able to help during a desperate moment.

"This is an issue, if you don't have friends or family in the area, you're more or less left to sink or swim. There's no emergency service to help you," she said.

Joanne said what happened on Sunday is a culminating moment in her effort to find reliable and adequate care for her mother.

"She's gotten weaker again," said Joanne, who is having her mother tested for a urinary tract infection after her she spent those 20 hours in bed without being able to leave.

More PSWs needed, says daughter

"My experience here in Windsor-Essex has not been that good," said Joanne. "Obviously the system needs more PSWs and the PSWs need to be paid more to stay."

Joanne said she's noticed issues in the scheduling, which has her concerned about her mother's care. 

"The PSWs themselves, for the most part, are great ... but the scheduling is a nightmare and it's creating a lot of stress," said Joanne. 

Three PSWs visit the home during the week, according to Joanne, with a nurse who also visits. She recalls one time when multiple PSWs arrived.

There have also been times when nurses come at the same time and PSWs have to wait around "wasting their time" while the nurses finish their work, she said.

Joanne has considered moving her mother into a nursing home, something that she said the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network has urged her to do. But Joanne said her mother had an incident at a nursing home that left her injured.

"It's not something I want to do, I don't think it's something she would be happy with," she said.

"I'm between a rock and a hard place," said Joanne, who's exhausted as a caregiver and advocate for her mother.

"I just think I'm trying to get the best I can for my mother under circumstances that have left me so burned out and frazzled."