Shortage of long-term care beds on P.E.I. creating ‘bottleneck,’ says nursing home association [Video]

While some Islanders are facing unprecedented wait times at emergency rooms, others are waiting to get out of the hospital and into a nursing home. 

Vanessa Madore said her mother, Joanne Flood, spent two months in hospital while waiting for a bed in long-term care. 

“It was difficult. She was in a room with sometimes four, sometimes six other people,” Madore said. “With her dementia, she was quite confused. She didn’t know where she was or who was in the room with her.” 

After two months of waiting, Flood was able to secure a bed at Beach Grove Home. 

Madore’s mother died earlier this month, and unfortunately the family also had to deal with long waits in the ER as her health deteriorated.

When Flood needed access to medical care in December, she spent a week in the emergency department because there were no beds available in the hospital, her …