Regina man facing 150% rent increase in long-term care
Man with ALS will pay $2,700 per month instead of $1,100, according to letter
A Regina man and his family are shocked at the nearly 150 per cent rent hike he is facing from the provincial government for long-term care.
A lot of times I feel like I'm a pain in the ass to them because they've got to get it done really quick, and that makes me feel like a burden.- Gerald Ennis
Gerald Ennis is in a wheelchair without the use of his arms due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
On Tuesday, his daughter Nicole Dobson — who has power of attorney for her father — got a letter saying his monthly rent is jumping to the maximum $2,689 from the $1,086 he paid in June.
"I take medication for anxiety and I think I need more medication," Ennis told reporters outside Wascana Rehabilitation Centre, where he has lived since September.
Rent higher, care poorer, says Ennis
Ennis said while the rent is going up, the quality of care he has been receiving is going down.
"Everything is by expediency. You know, 'We only got so much time to do you because we've got to go do somebody else,'" he said.
"A lot of times I feel like I'm a pain in the ass to them because they've got to get it done really quick, and that makes me feel like a burden."
Health Minister Jim Reiter was asked about Ennis's concerns as he left the facility on another matter.
While long-term care fees were hiked in the recent provincial budget, Reiter said the increase to $2,689 per month should only apply to those who were already paying the previous maximum of $2,065. Ennis, meanwhile, was paying the minimum.
Reiter and his staff promised to look into his case.
Dobson said her father has already lost enough.
"He's lost his house. He's lost his animals. He's lost everything," she said. "He's lost so much he doesn't need to lose his money to the government to pay their deficit."