Nearly 900 seniors have been forced out of care facilities in a wildfire-ravaged region of British Columbia while the province has joined Alberta in receiving medical evacuees from the Northwest Territories, where thousands of residents have escaped dangerous conditions.

Susan Brown, CEO of Interior Health in B.C., said most of the residents were transferred from long-term care homes and memories of the devastation from past fires in the province may be exacerbating angst among both patients and employees.

害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 so much anxiety associated with wildfires now. We have a lot of staff and families that have been through this multiple years,害羞草研究所� she said of previous blazes, including in 2003, when about 33,000 people fled the area and many homes were burned to the ground.

A separate group of patients of various ages with previously acquired brain injury has also been moved. The majority of seniors were transferred to safer areas of their large Interior region but some are now in Vancouver, about 400 kilometres away.

Up to 40 people were still in the process of being moved this week as the health authority worked with various agencies to deal with a vulnerable population in and around Kelowna, Brown said.

害羞草研究所淓very effort害羞草研究所� is made to get in touch with families who may be accustomed to visiting elderly relatives in facilities close to home, but some are currently vacationing outside of the country, she said.

害羞草研究所淲hat we害羞草研究所檝e done is set up a phone line that anybody can call if they害羞草研究所檙e trying to locate a loved one,害羞草研究所� she said of the province where 27,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and a state of emergency has been declared.

害羞草研究所淚 just can害羞草研究所檛 imagine the mental anguish for all those families,害羞草研究所� Brown said of those concerned about their relocated elderly relatives.

Transferring patients out of long-term care facilities is a time-consuming process because some residents with cognitive disabilities must be accompanied by staff who know them, Brown said. Those with dementia should not be made to feel pressured during an emergency evacuation, she added.

害羞草研究所�(We) try to eliminate any anxiety or things that would create agitation. It害羞草研究所檚 critical. And having an appropriate space for them to go to.害羞草研究所�

Most seniors have not been moved by ambulance but by bus or other vehicles that can more comfortably accommodate older adults, Brown said.

害羞草研究所淭hey feel vulnerable, and sometimes scared. It depends on their underlying condition and just how they personally cope.害羞草研究所�

Eight of the nine facilities that have been evacuated are operated by private companies, and Interior Health runs one of them.

The Health Ministry said 16 care home residents from the Northwest Territories were transferred to B.C. by the Canadian Armed Forces, which also brought 19 hospital patients to the province.

害羞草研究所淎ll were supported by BC Emergency Health Services paramedics as well as health authority staff and clinicians and triaged at Vancouver International Airport,害羞草研究所� Health Minister Adrian Dix said in an emailed statement.

害羞草研究所淥ur B.C. health teams will be working with these medical evacuees to ensure they are able to stay connected with their families.害羞草研究所�

Charlotte Taillon, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health in Alberta, said 54 continuing care residents from the Northwest Territories have arrived in the province, which is also preparing to support between 150 and 200 homecare clients.

害羞草研究所淎lberta is also supporting approximately 30 obstetric patients from N.W.T. Care is being provided at a number of sites in Red Deer, Calgary and Edmonton,害羞草研究所� Taillon said in an email.

As well, about four acute-care patients and 39 people needing dialysis have been transferred to various sites in Alberta, she said.

All evacuees arrived in the province by small charter aircraft or the Canadian Armed Forces.

Jean Slick, a professor in disaster and emergency management at Royal Roads University in Victoria, is concerned that seniors who have been transferred to another jurisdiction will not get the support they need from visiting families.

害羞草研究所淵ou害羞草研究所檝e got formal care that害羞草研究所檚 provided. But there害羞草研究所檚 clear evidence that families are providing between 10 and 40 hours of care a week to people as well,害羞草研究所� said Slick, who regularly cared for her mother in a Victoria facility before her death there in 2019.

害羞草研究所淲hen you take people out of their care setting, they no longer have access to that informal care network.害羞草研究所�

Slick said dementia patients in particular need more help and she害羞草研究所檚 hoping family members will be regularly updated on how their loved ones are faring far from home.

Slick also noted some provinces are less prepared when disaster strikes so a national standard for response plans in facilities is needed.

Provincial legislation varies across the country and applies only to licensed operators, not private for-profit companies.

While B.C.害羞草研究所檚 emergency plans have been bolstered through its experience with wildfires, there is no requirement for updating its plan, other than for facility changes, said Slick, adding operators are also not required to hold any exercises to validate roles and responsibilities and identify gaps.

In Nova Scotia, for example, long-term care emergency plans must be updated and tested every three years. Ontario has the same testing requirement and licensees must conduct a planned evacuation at least once every three years.

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