Daughters recount choking death of father, 79, at Regina hospital

Last January Lori Urszulan watched her father choke to death in a Regina hospital. 

Her 79-year-old father, Earl Luhr, was admitted to the Pasqua Hospital to await a long term care bed. Luhr had developed trouble swallowing and began rapidly losing weight. On Jan. 6, 2014, he was given a feeding tube to help and he began to choke. 

"He was fully aware what was happening when he died," Luhr's other daughter, Linda Bandorf told reporters Monday.

"You could see in his eyes, he's asking for help," Urszulan added.

​Urszulan and Bandorf are now looking for answers. They said their father died because the suction unit necessary to clear their father's airway malfunctioned and the code blue unit responded too slowly. When the code blue team did arrive, they were held up.

"We found out that the door was locked to the unit, the code blue unit could not get on to the floor and they did not have an override key or code to get onto the floor," Urzulan said. "Everything took too long and my father died. He choked to death."

The NDP raised the story in question period at the Legislature Monday. Leader Cam Broten said it is a consequence of overcrowding in Saskatchewan hospitals. 

Government reviewed case 

Health Minister Dustin Duncan said since Luhr's death a review has been done and changes have already been made within the health region. 

"They've made some changes to how orders are written when it comes to feeding tubes. They've also made some changes to how feeding tubes are administered by the care aids," he said, adding he plans to meet with Luhr's daughters.

"When I think of my dad because I lived through that whole last scene in the hospital of him choking to death that's what I'm re-living all the time," Urszulan said. "Hopefully I'll be able to move past it and think of all the happy stuff instead."

Urszulan and Bandorf hope they get the answers they need when they meet with the Health Minister, so their tragedy isn't repeated.