Sagewood lockdown takes toll on residents

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Some family members of AgeCare Sagewood residents have concerns about the mental health impacts of prolonged lockdowns at the facility, while others say management is doing their best to keep residents safe.

AgeCare Sagewood is a supportive living facility in Strathmore experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, according to Alberta Health Services (AHS). In response, residents there are being restricted to their rooms in lockdown, according to the families of several residents.

Gayle Cox said the lockdown has been difficult on her mother, a Sagewood resident who suffers dementia.

“Some people are happy to stay in, but when you have dementia, it’s really hard to understand why you can’t come out,” said Cox. “Her mental state is failing – she’s declining, and she should not be declining this fast.”

Other residents have been suffering as well, she added. “These people, they have given so much to our country and to our town, and now they’re just left in their rooms rotting away. They cannot sit in those rooms for 24 hours a day for weeks on end.”

While Sagewood has done a “fantastic job” with care, the mental health impacts of the lockdown are being overlooked, said Cox. “I’m not looking to put them down; I know they’re following protocol.”

But Cox believes lockdown rules could be changed so residents could still interact safely in small groups while distanced and taking other cares to prevent viral spread.

“Their sitting rooms are huge – you could have them sitting in an area with tables where they’re not even near each other,” she noted. “There’s no reason they cannot go into small groups of five and be out in an area to socialize.”

Judy Cole, whose mother lives at Sagewood, said that a year into the pandemic, adjusting the rules surrounding outbreaks in care facilities should at least be considered. Cole said her mother does not suffer dementia and has adjusted to the lockdown but is aware of the concerns of other families.

“Maybe as the families, it’s time for us to start being a little more proactive in what we think is good for our parents,” said Cole. “Sagewood has done a phenomenal job of caring for its residents, but for them, it’s very easy to simply lock them down – and then everyone is locked away and the trouble is gone.”

Yvonne Thompson, whose parents live at Sagewood, said staff and management there are doing the best they can to care for residents and keep them safe. 

“They have to follow the rules from higher up,” she said.

Thompson’s father suffers dementia, and often forgets he is supposed to stay in his room and cannot see his wife, who lives on another floor. 

“They can’t be together, and it’s tough on their psyches,” she said.

But despite this, Thompson supports the restrictions created to protect her parents. “They have to look after their safety. If this is what it takes to keep my mother and father safe, I’m all for it.”

Sagewood has been open about the outbreak, said Thompson. Besides sending daily updates, including answering questions, Thompson can call the unit directly anytime and speak to the nurses on duty there. “They’ve got to know me and they’re honest with me as to what’s going on,” she said. “I can’t ask for more than that.”

Estelle Farley, whose mother lives at Sagewood, also said information is provided readily about the situation there. 

“I get an update once a week from a social worker and they tell me how she’s doing and what issues they are concerned about,” she noted. “I can phone in and they will take the phone to her, so she is not completely isolated in there.” 

Residents also have the chance to speak to loved ones via chat or tablets. 

The outbreak has been hard on staff, residents and family members alike. 

“It’s a real challenge for the staff that are working there, and it’s also a challenge for everybody that’s sitting on the outside, worrying about their loved ones,” she said. “I know quite a few (staff) by name now, and they really seem to be struggling, because they also see both sides in terms of how they must operate.”

Farley added staff are working to interact with residents daily, despite the lockdown. “They are trying to keep them entertained and engaged.”

AgeCare Sagewood did not respond to interview requests to provide information about the lockdown at the facility.

AUPE demands AHS takeover 

of AgeCare facilities

On Feb. 1, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) released a news release demanding AHS take over the management of four AgeCare continuing care facilities, including Sagewood in Strathmore.

“AHS has an obligation to provide Alberta seniors with safe continuing care, instead of contracting out their legal and moral responsibility and letting AgeCare bungle their way through with dire consequences,” said Mike Dempsey, AUPE vice-president. “Time and time again, we have seen such providers prioritize the bottom line over the health and safety of Albertans. AgeCare’s failing of seniors in Alberta is a travesty.”

AgeCare’s four facilities, which also includes Skypointe, Walden Heights and Glenmore in Calgary, all have COVID-19 outbreaks. Staff expressed alarm about operational problems at these facilities, including working between COVID and non-COVID units during shifts, being pressured to work while sick or recovering from COVID-19, increased workloads, short staffing, insufficient sick days, lack of support and training, and trauma from witnessing deaths, according to the news release.

“AHS must fix this disaster immediately or the senior residents, families of those seniors and health care workers will continue to pay the price with their health and their lives,” said Dempsey. “Make it public. Save lives. It’s that simple.”

AgeCare did not respond to a request for an interview regarding AUPE’s demands.