SENIOR LODGES

My late wife Shirley and I lived in a senior lodge for six months.

To start with they took almost all of our income. Living in the lodge turned out to be a nightmare for Shirley.

I made several suggestions to address the social, emotional, and recreational needs of Shirley, and others like her, who suffered from Alzheimer's and dementia, but sadly none were ever implemented. I believe this caused her to have a nervous breakdown, which resulted in her spending 2 months in hospital at the taxpayer's expense. The money would have been far better spent addressing her needs, and the others like her. It is also my belief that black mold located in the under carpet and flooring in our apartment may have cause her premature death due to the complications arising from the bacterial pneumonia Shirley contracted at the lodge. There had been a major flood in our apartment before we moved into the apartment due to a rupture of the hot water heating radiator in our apartment. Rather than removing the carpet and carpet underlay to dry them out, they simply used fans to dry out the carpet, leaving the carpet underlay, the underside of the carpet, and the wooden floor soaking wet. The lodge was also unsafe in 2013, and still is in 2021, because the sidewalks, parking lot, steps, and ramps were, and still are, often covered with glare ice after every Chinook. Below is a sampling of pictures I have taken of the extremely dangerous conditions at Chinook Winds Lodge starting in November 2013 until January 2021.

The east emergency fire exit was blocked with snow for the entire month of December, 2013. If there had been a fire in the kitchen area of the lodge all us residents on the east end of the lodge would not have been able to escape the fire, and the firemen would not have been able to get to us except through a window.

On November 30, 2013, I fell on the glare ice outside this southwest emergency exit door because the eaves trough was leaking. Luckily I did not break any limbs or have a serious brain injury, however I did have to sleep upright in a chair rather than my bed for three days after my fall. It should be noted that the eaves trough was still leaking as of November 27, 2020. It should be noted that when the snow melts on the roof above the fire exit door during a Chinook, a patch of glare ice always forms outside the fire exit door.

The picture below taken on Feb. 28, 2020 shows that there was a ten foot wide patch of glare ice on the street along the entire length of lodge. It should also be noted there were patches of glare ice on the sidewalk as well. The day I took this picture a good friend of mine fell on the glare ice. Luckily she was not seriously injured, however she could have had a very serious brain injury, a broken back, or a limb injury. As she is a senior any one of these injuries could have lead to her death. If a leaf blower had have been used to taper the snow back from the sidewalk the melting snow on the lawn would have simply soaked into the lawn.

The picture below that was also taken Feb. 28, 2020 illustrates that the alley behind the lodge was covered with glare ice. This meant that it would have been impossible to enter or leave the lodge safely from the front or rear entrances of the lodge. It should be noted that the only other emergency exit is at the east end of the lodge with the steps and ramp covered with snow and ice. This meant if there had been a fire in the lodge at that time there was no safe way to escape the fire.

The picture below shows the east fire exit stairs and sidewalk were snow covered. I noticed that the ramp leading from the east emergency fire exit door was also snow covered.

The pictures below shows snow piled up at the west end of the parking lot. When the snow pile melts and freezes it covers the parking lot and alley with glare ice from end to end.

The pictures below were taken on Nov. 17, 18, 21, & 27.

North west emergency exit

East emergency exit

Front sidewalk and main entrance

Northwest emergency exit sidewalk

East emergency exit ramp

Southwest emergency exit door, with glare ice outside the door because the eaves trough was still leaking as of Nov. 27, 2020.

I wonder how many people have fallen on the ice around this lodge since my late wife Shirley and I moved out on December 25, 2013 ? I see this as criminal neglegence, and will likely result in some ones death if the law protecting seniors in this lodge is not enforced.

The above picture taken on January 3, 2021 of the east energency fire exit stairs. I also noticed that the ramp was also covered with snow and ice at that time. This emergency fire exit was completely blocked with snow for the entire month of December 2013.

I sent letters with picture evidence of the unsafe conditions at the Chinook Winds Lodge on several occasions to the Mountain View Housing Authority, our local MLA , the Standards Compliance Licensing Branch of Alberta Health since December 3013, but it is obvious that my efforts were in vain.


Cindy Wiebe, complaints officer of The Standards Compliance and Licensing Branch of Alberta Health, sent me this letter dated December 17, 2014, stating that "Standards 2 (1) the grounds are maintained and in a safe condition and did not result in non-compliance to the standard." She also stated that "our department will continue to monitor this accommodation minimally on an annual basis to verify their compliance to the accommodations standards." It is obvious by my picture evidence that the lodge should have been checked after every major Chinook, and snowstorm. In my letters to The Standards Compliance and Licensing Branch of Alberta Health I enclosed pictures of how I used a leaf blower to make my stairs, sidewalks and driveway free of snow and ice, so they could see how to make their stairs, ramps and sidewalks safe using a leaf blower. I also told them how, when and where to check for unsafe conditions. Cindy Wiebe said that the accomodation would be checked minimally on an annual basis. If an annual inspection were performed in the summer time the accomodation would be considered safe, but if a careful inspection where performed after Chinook condtions, as I had suggested, my picture evidence shows that the accomodation was not safe in 2014, and is still unsafe in 2021. As seniors get older, many like myself, develop balance issues, and as a result fall very easily under ideal conditions. They, like myself, cannot get up without crawling to where we can grab onto something to get up after a fall. With a broken limb or brain injury this may be impossibe, meaning we could easily die from exposer, or freeze to death before we are found. It is a known fact that seniors who simply fall and break a limb often die prematurely as a result of a fall.


The bottom line is that our government is NOT making sure that the Standards Compliance Licensing Branch of Health in Alberta enforces the law that protects seniors in care facilities. A law that is not enforced is worthless !! When are the residents of Alberta going to DEMAND that senior citizens are protected by the law? After living in the lodge for 6 months I made the decision to remain in my own home as long as practical. As a result, I have been checking out ways to cut my living expenses to a minimum because I have a fixed pension income.


In checking the cost of my home insurance coverage I found a company that is giving me the same coverage for half the cost. I found I was paying far too much for many years.

Contact 1 (403) 439-0165
Address
Box 324 Didsbury, Ab. T0M 0W0
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