(CJME News Staff)

By Britton Gray/ CJME News

Unlocked doors, no mask: Woman concerned over at-home care her mother receives

Mar 1, 2021 | 11:29 AM

Families everywhere are making sacrifices to keep their elderly loved ones safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For many, that meant not going to see their parents for a weekly visit or missing out on some large family dinners.

But for Terri Aylward, who now lives in B.C., that meant cancelling the few trips a year she makes to visit her 92-year-old mother in Regina.

While Aylward made those changes to keep her mom safe, she’s frustrated over what she says are her mother’s caretakers not following simple health orders.

Aylward’s mother has been receiving at-home care from the Saskatchewan Health Authority for about two years.

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Aylward claims there have been multiple instances when workers have forgotten simple tasks — including locking the front door to her mom’s house.

“We talked to the manager about it and he didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. He said it was us, that we were imagining it wasn’t locked but we’ve got security cameras all through my mom’s house and through the doorbells so it’s obvious it wasn’t locked,” Aylward said.

But her concerns don’t stop there.

Saskatchewan winters are notoriously cold, so Aylward was especially disturbed when the care workers allegedly turned off her mother’s furnace, leaving her mom stuck inside a home that was 11 C in the middle of winter.

“We’ve got a panel there that says ‘Do not touch this switch.’ It is for the furnace, so they end up shutting it off. Just the incompetence is absolutely mind-boggling and this is a senior they’re supposed to be caring for,” Aylward said.

But things got unbearable after an incident when someone forgot to come over to make her mother dinner.

And if that wasn’t enough, Aylward was horrified the worker wasn’t following provincial health orders.

“By then, it’s already late so that’s frustrating … We get pings on our phones when someone comes to my mom’s door and opens the lockbox and we look and see on camera they’ve got a care aid in my mom’s house, in a middle of a pandemic, cooking food and serving it to her without a mask on,” Aylward said.

But when she brought forward her complaints, she once again said she felt they weren’t taken seriously.

“We’re not stupid. Just admit that you made the mistake or that your staff has but there has to be accountability and from what we see, there’s absolutely none and we’re so frustrated,” Aylward said.

“I wanted to come home in January. It’s in the middle of a pandemic (s0) is that safe for me to get on a plane? Probably not. So I’ve got to weigh that out: What is the risk of me going home to see my mom and passing COVID on to her? Perhaps picking it up at the airport. And then I’ve got this woman here going into my mom’s house and she’s not even wearing a mask.

“I was told by the lady who manages these care workers, she said, ‘Have you thought of going to private care?’ So what you’re telling me is that this is as good as it can get?”

The SHA provided a written statement saying: “Staff have been in contact with the family about this incident. All staff involved have been debriefed about what happened and will ensure all safety protocols and policies are followed in all that we do as the safety of our clients, residents and staff is a top priority.”

But Aylward is asking for punishment for those not following the rules. She has reached out to the senior’s advocate in Saskatchewan.

“Here’s my 92-year-old woman living alone and this is the best they can do?” Aylward said. “It’s unacceptable.”