One Edmonton family is still waiting for a plan from the province that will vaccinate Albertans who are eligible for a COVID-19 immunization, but housebound.
Susan Howell-Jensen’s father-in-law Bernie is in his late 80s and is eligible to receive his vaccination, but he is bedbound.
“It’s not possible for Bernie to walk any longer. So it’s not as though he can go stand in line and get a vaccination,” Howell-Jensen said.
Vaccinations opened to seniors who live in the community at the end of February, however no details have been released about what is being done for Albertans who cannot leave their homes.
Howell-Jensen said Bernie was in hospital at the end of November and was supposed to go into long-term care, but he wanted to stay home instead.
“They need to get paramedics to lift him out of bed. Can you imagine him standing in line where he’s got paramedics on either side of him walking him through a line? It simply doesn’t make sense.”
Bernie lives with his wife Hilda, who is in her early 80s, and their daughter Nancy, who is her 50s and whose health issues means she also cannot walk long distances.
Howell-Jensen said the province needs to have a program where vaccinations can be delivered in homes; she said that is how the family received flu vaccinations late last year.
“I realize this is a monumental task to deliver the COVID-19 vaccination but please can we make it a priority and find a way to help those people who are housebound and do everything we can to keep them in the best possible health,” she said.
Howell-Jensen said the family is taking every precaution they can, but there is concern the novel coronavirus, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, could enter the household.
“The visiting caregivers are taking every reasonable precaution but the reality is they have people coming into their home twice a day to deliver care,” she said.
“If there were to get COVID, that would just be catastrophic for any of them. For Bernie and for Nancy, they have health issues. But if something happens to Hilda, that whole care situation falls apart. She’s the glue.”
There are supports through 211 for Albertans who need transportation to their vaccination appointment. But, again, no plan has been shared about what is being done for those who are bedbound or housebound.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said work is underway with different ministries and organizations that serve seniors and others with mobility issues.
“We’re trying to make sure people have different kinds of supports that are available to them to help access vaccines,” Hinshaw said.
“Certainly if there are individuals who are having difficulty, again whether it’s difficulty leaving their homes or if they don’t have transportation readily available, those are issues that again we’re working to try and provide options to those people.”
Hinshaw said one solution will not fit all, which is why work is being done collaboratively, however it may take some time for a plan to be released.
“We are working over the next several weeks to have meetings with a multitude of stakeholders to identify where those barriers are so we can come up with the best solutions to address them,” she said.
Howell-Jensen and her husband moved to Edmonton from Vancouver last year to be closer to his parents. The two families have been unable to gather because of public health measures that restrict households from gathering. Howell-Jensen said that has taken a toll.
“We moved heaven and earth to get out here to be able to provide more support for Hilda, Bernie and Nancy. It’s heartbreaking that the best we can do is be standing on the driveway, hoping for the best,” she said.
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