Families left with guilt after deadly COVID-19 outbreak at Regina's Parkside care home: ombudsman's report

Brian Albert says he is relieved the truth is coming out about Saskatchewan's deadliest COVID-19 outbreak. 

Albert's mother lives at Parkside Extendicare, the Regina long-term care home where 39 patients died from COVID-19 over a 62-day period last winter. 

On Thursday, Saskatchewan's ombudsman's office released its report into the outbreak, which saw 194 of 198 residents infected with COVID-19 between November and January.

One of those people was Albert's 98-year-old mother, Marie. 

"[Staff] told me to go to the priest and make sure I've got all my things in order because the next day was going to be critical for my mom," Albert said. 

"That's the third time I did that with my mom since she's been there. Twice for an infection, and once for COVID, and she survived each time."

Health officials told the ombudsman's office that Parkside Extendicare consistently had more outbreaks of various illnesses than any other long-term care facility in the province "because it has four residents in a room, it is generally 'very crowded,' and because the 'infrastructure does not lend itself to disease control,'" the report says.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak that started on Nov. 20 at Parkside, the Saskatchewan Health Authority had declared 13 other types of outbreaks at the facility between January and July of 2020. Of the outbreaks, 11 were respiratory, one was for vomiting/diarrhea and one was for scabies, the report said.

'They failed them'

While Marie survived COVID-19, 39 fellow residents did not. 

Family members of Parkside residents were contacted during the ombudsman's investigation. 

"For the most part, they were glad we contacted them since it was the first time someone had reached out to them," ombudsman Mary McFadyen wrote in her 120-page report. 

Some family members commented that no one from Parkside personally reached out to them after their loved one died, and they only received an "impersonal" card, the report notes. 

In some cases, the belongings of loved ones were not returned to the family, including meaningful mementos.

Many expressed feelings that the system failed their loved ones, the ombudsman's report says.

"My mother worked all her life, paid taxes, but the health system failed her badly," one family member said.

"Some residents had no choice but to go into care, they had to put their trust in government and care homes and they failed them," said another quoted in the report.

Feelings of guilt

Many families felt guilty they were not able to do more for their loved one, the report says.

Because of public health orders in place at the time, they could not go into the building to see what was happening. 

"I do recall mom not wearing a mask and talking about it," one person told the ombudsman.

Another family member said that when his loved one tested positive, Parkside moved her to another wing of the facility.

"[The family member] could no longer contact her as she no longer had access to her telephone," the report said. 

"After he left many messages with management and, he said, made them angry, they eventually moved her phone."

But for many families, there was no saying goodbye. 

"One person told us that once the pandemic started, they couldn't hug or snuggle their mom, which she thrived on, and that she felt they had forgotten her," the report said. 

"She spent the last few months of her life without love and affection from her family and ended up dying alone."

In March, the families of some Parkside residents launched a class-action lawsuit against Extendicare, the company that operates the residence.

Albert says he believes the suit will bring even more truth to light. 

"I'm waiting for everything to come ahead," he said.