Long-term care has been a hot-button topic in Lloydminster as residents advocate for a replacement to the Jubilee Home.
Read more: Seniors re-imagine Jubilee Home
SHA system flow director Deborah Winge and director of continuing care NW Leonard Wegner answered concerns and explained the LTC process.
“Once they’re in an acute care bed and deemed medically stable, home care generally will get involved,” said Winge, explaining assessors from both provinces co-ordinate from the Lloydminster Hospital.
“They would determine, after some discussions with physicians, the client and potentially family members, which direction they would go.”
Depending on the individual’s needs, this may mean home care support, supportive living, or LTC.
Assessors complete an evaluation when LTC becomes necessary. The evaluation is then sent to the Systems Flow teams in both provinces.
“That assessment is then screened using a list of designated definitions,” said Winge. “They’re looking for their care needs … then determining whether or not they qualify.”
Two key factors for matching qualified individuals with beds in the community are the individuals’ care needs and the date they qualified.
“Bed matching occurs utilizing that specific waitlist and that date,” explained Winge. “But we also have to bed match in the sense of what their care needs are.”
For example, smaller facilities may not be able to support an individual who needs dialysis and
specialized lifts.
Meanwhile, facility capabilities and availability are also factors in the placement process.
According to Winge, seven people were in Lloydminster’s acute care beds awaiting LTC as of May 8.
“Of those seven, two files have gone out to
specific facilities for review and potential admission,” said Winge.
That number does fluctuate from day to day and week to week.
Cross-border movement is a pressing concern in Lloydminster. Some residents end up in homes outside of the city or the province in which they reside.
“We do not treat Saskatchewan or Alberta residents any differently,” she said. “Your postal code, your actual physical address … does not come into play as far as waitlisting or placement.”
When looking for LTC, people provide a list of three preferred homes to SHA representatives.
“We definitely try to utilize those second and third choices for the first available bed when it is required,” Winge added.
However, preferences for larger centres like
Lloydminster or Battleford create bottlenecks.
“Those are where the biggest challenges are,” said Winge. “If people are only going to give us the facilities that are in that one city, we are asking them for alternate choices.”
Some residents have ended up in places like Loon Lake, despite choosing Lloydminster facilities. This happens when demand for certain homes exceeds supply.
“If you choose LCC (Lloydminster Continuing Care) as your first choice … the length of time to get in there is going to be longer,” said Wegner.
SHA sometimes uses the “first available bed” policy to prevent acute care bed backlogs.
“Once someone is in a first available bed, they remain on the wait list still with that initial date qualified,” said Winge. They then continue waiting for a bed at one of their chosen homes.
She emphasized this is necessary to free up acute care beds. “Having those people waiting in an acute care bed affects their capacity and ability to manage acute care patients,” she said.
Residents have concerns people are going to homes further away than necessary.
“Our current distance max for us would be 150 kilometres. We will not move people more than 150 kilometres away from their designated site of what is designated as home location.”
Being on the border, provincial residents ending up in the opposite province is a growing concern.
“We don’t really see Saskatchewan residents getting placed on the Alberta side,” said Winge. “We do see some Alberta residents going into the first available bed on the Saskatchewan side just based on bed availability.”
Misinterpretation happens sometimes with these cases, according to Wegner. “When people move into Lloydminster from Saskatchewan into a personal home, they a lot of times move into … the Alberta side of Lloydminster,” he said.
“So, they may have been Saskatchewan residents all their lives, but they’re based out of Alberta now.”
Residency also affects funding and system access. “If you move to Alberta, if you take a placement in Alberta, after three months, you do need to become an Alberta resident,” explained Wegner.
“If you are an Alberta resident and choose to come to Saskatchewan … you don’t have to become a Saskatchewan resident.”
In Saskatchewan, a temporary health card allows placement and assessment without permanent residency status, helping maintain continuity of care.
Winge said she has spoken with many Lloydminster families.
“Generally, I find they want someone to listen and they’re seeking information,” she said.
The SHA says it faces the same LTC pressures throughout the north. Lloydminster is not unique.
“Your placement is based on need, availability and timing, not your address,” said Winge.
The message from SHA is clear: LTC placement is a structured process that prioritizes fairness, need and timely support.
For families concerned about timelines, the best path is to stay informed, keep flexible options open, and understand the system’s demands.
Read more: Seniors to push for Jubilee rebuild
