Kudos to Mayor Nancy Cooper for taking an issue that obviously bothered her heart another step further.
At the recent meeting with UBCM, the issue of hospital discharges was raised, in light of a situation which took place in Salmon Arm in May.
At that time, Christopher Allbury, who suffered from dementia, went missing after being dropped off at the McGuire Lodge care home at 1:30 a.m. following his discharge from the hospital.
It appears no one ensured there was someone to pick him up and get him into his home safely. No one followed up.
He was later found dead, his body discovered in a thick stand of trees and bushes beside Lakeshore Drive.
We have no doubt the outcome was upsetting to all involved, including Interior Health, who needs to be mindful of privacy and a hospital patient’s rights and wishes.
But safety of the sick and vulnerable among us, also needs to be foremost in guiding procedures. We have many vulnerable seniors in our community and we can not let them slip through the cracks of policy and procedure.
Cooper says Interior Health has initiated a review and that is welcome news. What also needs to be welcome news is the outcome of this review. We need to know what could be done to prevent a similar situation.
