Wait for long-term care beds costing Grand Falls-Windsor family emotionally and financially

A delay to the openings of new long-term care centres in Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor is leaving one family with frustration and feeling thefinancial impact.

Darrell Durdle's grandfather, 99, lives in an acute-care hospital bed in Grand Falls-Windsor. He was admitted about six weeks ago with pneumonia, contracted COVID-19 while in hospital,and lives with Alzheimer's and dementia.

Durdle and his family have been working to find a long-term care bed for his grandfatherbut were told by Central Health placementin one of the new facilities wasn't guaranteed. With a lack of available bedsand the new facilities not set to open until mid to late-April, it's left their family in a costly situation.

"He'll go on the waiting list for a long-term care bed in Grand Falls-Windsor. And we were told there's no beds readily available," Durdle told CBCNews onThursday.

"He'll be charged $37 a day until a bed becomes available for him to go into."

The daily cost of keeping the bedtranslates to more than$1,100 a month, which Durdle says is a tall order for a senior on a fixed income.

"For the government and the health authority to have to charge him $37 a day while he waits for a bed to become available where does that money come from? He doesn't make it as a senior," he said.

Durdle says his grandfather likely wouldn't have to pay for care once he moves into a long-term care facility as payments become subsidized. But the family is left to bear the cost in the meantime.

"We're dealing with this for him. That's something he shouldn't have to worry about at 99 years old, for sure," Durdle said.

"Emotionally, it has an impact on everyone. I hear of so many families dealing with the same thing, and I just think it's wrong for the government to be charging people this. Yet they're issuing subsidies for people to be able to come home for Come Home Year.We have our seniors who are in the hospital waiting for long-term care and can't afford the care that they need."

CBC News asked Central Health for an interview for this story, but the health authority declined, citing privacy concerns.

In an emailed statement, a representative said they prefer to work directly with patients and families rather than speaking publicly.

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