New Miramichi nursing home comes too late for one family

A Miramichi woman says the announcement of a new nursing home for the city is good news but comes too late for her husband who has already been in hospital for nearly a year waiting for an opening.

• Miramichi gets new 240-bed nursing home

"It's wonderful, I'm glad it's coming to the Miramichi because it will serve all of the area but it's a little bit too late for me," VeronicaJay said during an interview on Tuesday on Information Morning Moncton.

The new home isn'texpected to open for two to three years after the tendering process is complete.

"Bob will not be going to the new facility," Jay said, explaining that she expects he will get into one of the two existing nursing homes the new facility will eventually replace.

It's justvery lonelyif Bob is anything he's just lonely.- Miramichi resident Veronica Jay

"He's been a year almost now in the hospital waiting so we're about eighth on the list now so hopefully we'll get in within the next six months or we may have to go to Ontario."

Jay says their children, who live in Ontario, are trying to find Bob a spot there.

"My children are doing the figures and they figure that I would not be able to live as I did when he goes in because of how much money the government takes so they're a bit concerned there," she said.

Community looks for short-term solution

RayArsenault, a member of theMiramichiEvangelical Ministerial Association, which has been lobbying for a new nursing home for the area, says the situation Veronica and Bob Jay are facing is typical.

He says the fact the new home is coming is wonderful, but in the meantime the community is looking for ways to improve the situation for seniors who currently haveno choice but to live in thehospital for months.

"There'snotmuchthat we can do except we need to keep theseniorsin their homes as long as we can possibly do that," he said.

Arsenault points out that according to numbers from the provincial government, it costs$1,500 per day to keep a senior citizen in thehospitaland$250 perday in a nursing home while staying at home is even cheaper.

"We'retalking about getting churches involved and getting people involvedhelpingseniorsin their homes. Some just need someone to come a few times a week to help wth simple tasks such as taking outthegarbage."

"They don't want to beinstitutionalized,they don't want to go to the hospital, they want to stay in their own homes."

Jay agrees, saying she will be glad when her husbandis finally moved from the hospitalto a nursing home.

"There's nothing on the floor for them, there's no entertainment, there's no mixingwithother people," Jay said.

"It's just very lonely if Bob is anything he's just lonely."

Arsenault says it is heartbreaking to see seniors left in their hospital rooms with no stimulation.

He says over the holidays, a pastor visited the hospital with a group of carolersand when seniors heard the sound of the music manystarted to cry.

"Seniors were weeping at the sound of the Christmascarolssimply because they hadn't receivedmuch stimulation whatsoever," he said.

"When these people die in the hospital waiting for a nursing home bed they have never seen the outsideof the hospital because most of them they are confined to their rooms they are just there waiting to die. They're likethe Miramichi'swalking dead."