An 88-year-old man who spent four nights sleeping in the hallways of Abbotsford Regional Hospital has finally been moved into a room.
The lack of space for John "Jack" Cook left his family frustrated and renewed concerns about the health care system's ability to treat patients.
"They're overloaded and he's not getting the care he should," Cook's son Dan told CTV News on Monday. "He doesn't have any dignity lying there in the hallway."
Cook was placed into a room hours later.
The elderly patient is suffering from a brain bleed and has been unable to walk on his own, according to his family.
He spent two nights on a gurney in front of a busy nursing station in the hospital's emergency department before being moved to a separate hallway on a different floor.
Cook's son said hospital workers have been doing the best they can, but noted his father wasn't the only one forced to sleep in the hallways.
"How do we talk to him? How do we sit with him? Often times we're having to move the chair every time a bed came by and people are walking by or standing right there. We just have no ability to visit with him properly," he said.
Abbotsford Regional’s site medical director acknowledged the demand and stresses the system is facing, saying overcapacity in hospitals is a complex challenge across the country.
"Last week was a particularly busy time at the hospital, and despite all of our efforts there simply were a lot of people who needed to be in the hospital to receive that level of care," Dr. Michael Newton said in an email.
"We have already seen our patient volumes come down over the weekend and will continue to work hard to manage winter congestion."
Fraser Health noted it has opened hundreds of residential care beds in recent years, and increased the number of home support hours provided in the region to reduce the inflow of patients at hospitals.
