CALGARY- A fatality inquiry surrounding the death of a woman with a brain injury is highlighting a much larger problem in Alberta: a lack of proper health facilities.
Calgary’s Diane Linder needed long term care due to her injury, but was put into a seniors home because there were no beds at facilities for younger people.
The 42-year-old died in June 2011, after climbing over a balcony in an attempt to escape the Bethany Care Centre.
“As a much younger resident, Ms. Linder was not a good fit,” provincial judge Sharon van de Veen wrote, in the fatality inquiry examining Linder’s death.
A doctor who testified during the inquiry said Linder struggled psychologically with frustration and boredom.
The inquiry recommends Alberta Health Services address the “significant need for more young adult residential health facilities.”
Calgary currently only has one facility that’s appropriate for younger patients, which has 23 beds. Turnover is low.
In a statement to Global News, AHS said it recognizes patients with traumatic brain injuries require specialized care, and it is reviewing the inquiry’s recommendations.
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