Former nurse fighting for first long-term care home for younger adults in Sask. to address lack of services

Saskatchewan families with medically fragile adult children are advocating for the province's first long-term care home to meet the needs of peoplewho aren't kids or senior citizens.

For three years, Kerrie Elliothas been trying to open Feather Ridge, a facility geared toward young adults aged 18 to 55 who need 24-hour care.

The formerregistered psychiatric nurse said she noticed a gap in services that she wanted to fill for families who had adult children with high medical needs, disabilities or brain injuries.

• Suffering in the shadows: What parents of medically complex children face every day and night.

"It is heartbreaking for the families to put their 15-year-old in long-term care with seniors. Those youths, they're medically fragile, but they live for decades and they unfortunately live in seniors' homes with the seniors dying around them," said Elliot.

"Their parents then have to relinquish their child into an environment that isn't meant for them, isn't staffed for them, and they have no quality of life and no peer interactions."

Elliot purchased a building in Christopher Lake, Sask., 40 kilometres north of Prince Albert,that was formerly a personal care home. Ithas 10 beds and lifts.

The building itself is designed like a home. Clients would be able to customize their rooms, get physiotherapy, do outdoor activities and take day trips.

Elliot said she has been to the legislative building advocating for Feather Ridge throughout the years, has hired nurses to provide care, and has awaitlistof18 people. She said what is holding her back from opening is government funding which she would like in order tokeep costs low for families.

"There's no box to put us in, the bouncing between health and social services," said Elliot.

"The bouncing back and forth with the facility or the projectit is the same thing that these families face. This is the same, you know, 'you don't fit here, you don't fit there.' And that's why they slip through the cracks."

The Saskatchewan Royal Purple is an official sponsor helping with fundraising because Feather Ridgewould accept those with traumatic brain injuries, a cause adopted by the society.

Families left waiting

Linda Eninew's 28-year-old son Easton Beatty experienced a spinal and traumatic brain injury after a fall in 2023. He lives at the Big River Health Centre, a long-term care facility that is more than an hour away from Eninew in Prince Albert.

She said Feather Ridge would offer Beatty access to physical therapy that he can't get currently, land-based activities, and it would be closer to his home.

"Our family has been waiting, hoping that it'll be open, hoping the government will fund Feather Ridge for our people, our young people in the North," said Eninew.

"My son deserves a better quality of life."

Connie Bridal moved to the RM of Paddockwood eight years ago from Regina where she provides 24/7 care for her sonZander.The 20-year-oldwas born without a corpus callosum. He uses a wheelchair and has many intensivemedical needs.

Bridalprovides physical and occupational therapy for him.

"I've done my own research and in order to care for his needs at home, there's been no facility available for Zander for me to get any respite since we've moved here and basically I've been having caregiver burnout the last couple of years,"said Bridal.

Bridal and her husband have not been able to go on a date in eight years or take family vacations. Her dreams of starting a horse ranch for at-risk youth have been put on hold, she said.

She said while she has never wanted to put Zander into an institution because he is so young and there often is not enough staff to care for his needs, a tour of Feather Ridge has warmed her to the idea.

She added that Zander could spend time with people his age which he loves as well asget outside.

"We really need our government to step up and really help families like ours because this facility would just help us so much," said Bridal.

No other options

Cindy Xavier said waiting for the government to fund Feather Ridge has left her and her 34-year-old child, Nyx, feeling helpless and hopeless. Nyx has complex medical needs beginning with, at birth, SpinaBifida and hydrocephalus, which has led to years of surgeries, medical care and mental health challenges.

"There are no options for someone who's Nyx's age to live in a stable home environment with peers that are of similar age and, you know, be able to feel like they have a life." said Cindy.

Nyx is currently staying atSt. Paul's hospital in Saskatoon and receiving medical care.

Outside of the hospital Nyx doesn't currently have a place to live. Cindy said governmentservices andsupport for the family stopped when Nyx turned 18.

Nyx said that they tried three times to live on their own but it was difficult without help, but the idea of living in long-term care is scary.

"The system as it stands right now is very, very broken.Itneeds to change," said Nyx.

Cindy said that Nyx does not qualify for publicly-funded long-term care because Nyx can move in and out of their wheelchair, so patient services at St. Paul's hospital suggested the family look into Feather Ridge.

"[It]is an opportunity like this ray of hope that we never realized existed and have been asking for for a long time," said Cindy.

"I believe [there's] a community and a government responsibility to care for all members in our society who are disadvantaged, not just the ones who can pay the bill."

Open house

A foundation, Friends of Feather Ridge Saskatchewan, exists to help the facility fundraise, as Elliot waits for the government to fund it as a long-term care home.

The Ministry of Health said that ithas worked with Feather Ridge providing options that arefinancially viable and with appropriate safeguards in place to ensure quality of care. It added that Feather Ridge is asking forfunding"far in excess of what other long-term care providers of this type of service receive."

Elliot said that herproposal is $63.75 per day more than the government's own reported daily bed costbecause she would be staffing nurses for 24 hours to provide level 4 care which is not currently available in the community.

The Morning Edition - Sask10:23Former nurse fighting to open first long-term care home for younger adults in Sask. to address lack of services

She said she understands she may be going about starting Feather Ridge backwards, where normally a tender is put out and people apply or put in proposals for that facility.

"This is what happens when families are tired of waiting. They're tired of waiting and they're struggling and they're heartbroken to see their young ones in long-term care or they're struggling at home," said Elliot.

"We're just looking for the government to come to the table to fund that core funding for us so that we can provide this care."

An open housefor families is planned to take placeAug.10.Government officials arealso invited to attend.