A Fraser Valley man is sharing frustrations about the care his father is receiving at an Abbotsford hospital – after the senior spent four nights in a hospital hallway and is preparing to spend his fifth.
John "Jack" Cook has spent the past few days at Abbotsford Regional Hospital on a gurney in various hallways, first in front of a nursing station before being moved to a different floor, all while suffering from a brain bleed.
"They're overloaded and he's not getting the care he should," says his son Dan. "He doesn't have any dignity lying there in the hallway."
Dan says the family understands that staff are attempting to do their best, but the situation has left them frustrated and upset.
"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," said Dan.
The hospital 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," said Dr. Michael Newton, the site medical director at the hospital, in a statement.
Newton says the hospital is working to put initiatives in place to help manage patient congestion and work to better manage the flow of patients, particularly during the winter time.
The patient caught in the middle of this is surprisingly calm about the ordeal.
"Well, there's not much I can do is there?" John said.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Michele Brunoro
