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Christian Herridge’s life has not been easy.
At 50, he has a host of medical problems, including schizophrenia, a heart condition and osteoporosis. Now, on top of all that, recent brain damage has left him learning to walk and talk again. He faces a long road back with months of therapy to learn to physically support himself and to fix his muddled speech.
Above all, after more than 16 months in hospital, he is most determined to move back home to his parents’ house in Mahone Bay, N.S.
His mother, Ruth, says the hospital has been trying to discharge Christian for months, but it’s a move that is proving difficult. She thinks the province should be doing more to help.
“It’s like everybody says, it’s cheaper to send them home and for them to be around family. But you can’t get them home,” says Ruth Herridge.
She worries that her house is not ready to accommodate someone with so many special needs. Christian’s bedroom is on the second floor. And while fundraisers helped to install a chair lift, the family believes it is too cumbersome for their small, cramped home. The family wants to add a bedroom on the first floor for easier access to a nearby bathroom.
There are provincial government programs to help retrofit homes for accessibility, but Ruth Herridge says the criteria is too limiting.
She applied to the Nova Scotia Department of Growth and Development for assistance. But she received a letter stating the family’s savings exceed the limit of $25,000 “total household investment.” As a result, they do not qualify for home repair assistance.
Christian Herridge is supported by social assistance payments. Ruth Herridge says she and her husband survive on his small pension bolstered by monthly payments from Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security.
She says she told the province about “a few thousand dollars” they are keeping to give to Christian when they pass.
“We’re not trying to hurt anybody or take advantage of anybody. It’s for Christian and his quality of life. Our income is just a little bit over $25,000. It doesn’t, doesn’t add up,” Herridge says.
Nova Scotia Health aims to have patients move home to recover as soon as they are safe to do so. In their promotional videos, they say it is not about freeing up beds, which the department says can cost roughly $1,000 per day.
But Ruth Herridge argues there should be more money available to help patients’ families make the transition and get them out of hospital.
Over the years, the province has increased the threshold “total household investment” limit from $15,000 to $25,000.
The province will provide some homecare services and some disability assist tools. The local PC MLA’s office says it is also working to try to find other ways to help the family.
In the meantime, Christian will likely be moving home permanently without any major renovations to the house in a bid to prevent him from moving into a nursing home.
“The suggestion was for him to go to a home or to another facility because they don’t feel that this is a safe home for him where my husband and myself are failing,” his mother said.
“But we do have some people who are willing to come on to help us make sure that it’s a good transition for Christian to be home here with us. We are not going to let him fall through the cracks.”
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