Wednesday, February 22, 2006

The tragedy of Fanny Albo

The tragedy of Fanny Albo needs to be brought into the light of scrutiny.
91 year old Fanny Albo died just days after being separated from her 97 year old husband, Al, at the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. The couple had been married for almost 70 years. This story is enough to bring tears to a compassionate person.
SOMEONE made the decision to remove Fanny from her home care facility.
SOMEONE knew they were separating an elderly man and wife.
SOMEONE actually wheeled Fanny out of her home to take her away to another care center.
SOMEONE didn't even allow Al to hold her hand or comfort her before she left.
It is time we learned the identity of these uncaring people. They do not deserve to work in a health care system!
This is how the Liberal Government under Gordon Campbell started out. They weathered that earlier furor over separating old people and closing their care facilities, in effect, casting them out of their homes. Was the money to keep this man and wife together too much for these merciless people? Did they think they were making points with the government by doing this?
We need to know WHO made the decision. We need to know WHY it was made. We need to know WHO actually went there to get Fanny. We need to know WHY they ignored Al Albo.

This is a BC Liberal government with a priority on ecomonic issues that shows continual contempt for the people of BC. Gordon Campbell's policies have caused old people to be treated like discards. We shouldn't allow the people who did this heinous act to remain faceless. SOMEONE needs to account for it. We can't let the story die all over again. Letting Fanny Albo die was enough.
More than Al Albo are crying tonight.


UPDATE: People from the Interior Health Care met in Victoria to discuss the sadness of this case. (Al Albo has died within two weeks of seeing his wife die alone in a strange place) It looks like a bunch of rhetoric to avoid blame to me; telling us they're going to put more money in. (They took it away in the first place) That it shouldn't happen again. etc etc. Same old protecting the guilty parties. These parties need to be NAMED! And FIRED! These are not the kind of people that should be looking after the elderly! They should have a new policy of having NOTHING happening regarding the movement, care or interests of people in these facilities without PAPERWORK on everything. NO phone calls. NO MIScommunications. NO slipping away from blame later! ALL workers should do NOTHING without paperwork that can be traced to the original orders relating to the person in care.
Again, SOMEONE made the terribly UNcaring decision to move this woman away from her husband of 70 years and that person needs to account for it!

UPDATE 2: When questioned recently by Christie Clark on the Bill Good show about this incident and who took part in the decision to move Fanny, Health Minister George Abbott went into a rhetoric about not having enough nurses and doctors and other good people in the Health Services, saying in effect that the ministry is willing to accept BAD people working in health care? Deputy Minister Penny Ballem, who did the investigation also commented that certain people were not available to her for inquiries. Mr. Abbott seemed to say it was alright because he HAD talked to 'other' higher ups. Perhaps it is time to call for a coroner's inquest, where people are forced in a court to testify instead of hiding until it blows over.
Seems that the cover up for these bad decisions is working just fine. Sad isn't it?
Wouldn't we just like to know WHO decided this tragedy?

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:45 pm

    Well you must certainly know who is to blame for this terrible ordeal for the family. Gordan Campbell comes to mind for me. And that dam Liberal Govn....
    How they could get voted in again is unthinkable.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous8:41 am

    Hey Bob,

    Tis I, Genoa. I agree with anonymous, Gordon Campbell has closed hospitals and senior care homes with impunity, leaving not enough beds to go around. The staff of any hospital are required, no matter how they may personally feel about it, to follow protocol set out by the Health Authority. The Health Authorities and Gordon Campbell's severe cuts to health care spending are responsible for this tragedy.

    So, how ya doin' these days - long time, no see.

    ReplyDelete

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