Dorothy Slemko has spent much of her life looking after other people. The 82-year-old Calgary woman worked as a hairdresser for decades, drove herself wherever she needed to go and rarely hesitated to help friends, customers or family. Now, she says, her own life has been put on hold. “I feel like I’m in a jail because of it,” Slemko said. “Most of my independence I feel has been taken away because of this.” Slemko has been waiting more than a year for further testing for hydrocephalus — a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain — and potentially surgery to implant a shunt to drain the excess fluid. She says the condition has left her dizzy, unsteady and increasingly concerned about her memory and ability to do the things she once took for granted. “I just want to be able to get back to being normal.” A growing loss of independence Slemko’s symptoms began with persistent dizziness. She also has a long history of concussions, including several car accidents over the course of her life. She says she received little medical treatment for some of those earlier injuries, including crashes that happened decades ago. There is no indication from her medical history provided for this story that the concussions caused her hydrocephalus. A referral in May 2025 eventually brought Slemko to the Alberta Centre for Healthy Aging, where a doctor suspected she had fluid building up in her brain. Because she was told a publicly-funded MRI could take a considerable amount of time, Slemko paid for a private scan the following month. The MRI confirmed the presence of fluid, and she was subsequently referred to a specialist at Foothills Medical Centre. She waited another nine months for that appointment. When she finally saw the specialist, Slemko says the doctor was thorough and recommended a lumbar drain trial — a procedure that can help determine whether draining cerebrospinal fluid improves a patient’s symptoms. She was told the procedure would happen by the end of June 2026. That deadline has since passed without the procedure taking place. “It’s incredibly frustrating and I’m afraid that the longer I wait for this procedure, the worse it could get,” said Slemko. “Now I’m told that scheduling is going to continue through October, but I’m halfway down the list, and I don’t know when I’m going to be in next. I haven’t heard anything, so we’re still waiting.” Slemko no longer drives and rarely leaves home unless she needs to shop. As a result, she says she has fallen in the past and worries about what could happen if her balance continues to deteriorate. “I have to be careful how I go down the stairs and come up. I usually go almost sideways so that I can just hang on to the hand railing.” “I don’t go very far because I don’t want to break something and I’m scared to fall down.” She also believes her memory and ability to find words have become more difficult. “Being able to speak and think of the right things to say, it’s just getting harder and harder for me each day.” Activities she enjoys — including dancing, sewing, travelling and driving — have also become difficult or impossible. “I don’t do any of that anymore, which is heartbreaking for me.” Health officials say Calgary clinic is fully staffed Slemko’s experience comes as Alberta’s health system says there is no shortage of neurosurgeons at the Foothills Medical Centre hydrocephalus clinic. Alberta Health Services (AHS) says the clinic is staffed to planned levels with two full-time neurosurgeons, a nurse practitioner and a consulting neurologist. A temporary neurosurgeon provided additional coverage while one of the program’s neurosurgeons was on leave. That appointment has now ended following the neurosurgeon’s return. “There has been no delay in patient care as a result of staffing levels or resources at the clinic,” AHS said in a statement. The agency says hydrocephalus care is highly specialized and is available through AHS sites in Calgary and Edmonton. “Patients remain under the care of their treating team while awaiting assessment or surgery, with care prioritized based on clinical need,” the statement continued. AHS said it could not comment on Slemko’s individual circumstances because of privacy requirements. According to the University of Calgary and University of Alberta, the province has approximately 35 practicing neurosurgeons, with 18 based in Calgary and 17 in Edmonton. All neurosurgeons working within AHS are trained to treat hydrocephalus, according to AHS. Hydrocephalus can worsen with time Dr. Mark Hamilton, a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, says hydrocephalus occurs when there is an imbalance in the production and removal of cerebrospinal fluid. “When there’s an imbalance, then the chambers inside the brain can grow, and that can produce damage,” Hamilton said. In older adults, a chronic form known as idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, or INPH, can cause problems with balance, walking and cognition. “When you see somebody who’s starting to walk slowly, shuffling, people often break that off as old age,” Hamilton said. “That’s not normal aging.” Falls and a decline in a person’s ability to function day-to-day can also be warning signs. Treatment can involve a lumbar drain trial, which temporarily removes cerebrospinal fluid to see whether a patient’s symptoms improve. Those who respond may then be considered for shunt surgery, which diverts fluid away from the brain. Hamilton says chronic hydrocephalus does not always require immediate emergency treatment, but prolonged delays can have lasting consequences. “We’ve learned over the past decade that significant delays can result in injury that is not recoverable.” The Calgary program is also seeing growing demand as Alberta’s population ages. “We get about probably about 400 referrals a year or more,” Hamilton said, adding the program performs roughly 150 or more operations annually, including shunt surgeries and other procedures. About 80 per cent of patients who undergo shunting for INPH improve significantly, according to Hamilton. “I’ve had so many people say, literally, this quote: ‘You’ve given me back my life.’” “But as Alberta’s population ages, it’s just going to become a bigger problem.” ‘I just want to get back to being normal’ For Slemko, the explanation that patients are prioritized based on clinical need does little to ease the uncertainty surrounding her own treatment. She says she has had positive experiences with the medical professionals who have treated her but is frustrated by how long it has taken to move through the system. “I know the hospital has a good medical team, but their hands are tied,” she said. “It just takes so long to get anything done.” Slemko says she would consider travelling outside Alberta, or even outside Canada, if it meant getting the assessment and treatment she needs, although her caregivers say they have not yet extensively explored those options. For now, she is waiting to find out when her lumbar drain assessment will happen and whether it will ultimately lead to shunt surgery. “You pay into this system all your life, and when you need help, it’s not there.” “I just want to be able to get back to being normal.”
