A man is fighting for dignified care after he says his wife, who suffers from dementia, was refused service in English at a Montreal-area nursing home.
Months back, George Zeliotis began to notice something was wrong with his wife Alexandra Stefantos.
”She was missing the words sometimes,” Zeliotis told CTV Montreal.
Not long after, doctors discovered that she had dementia, and Zeliotis made the decision to put his wife of almost 60 years into a nursing home for proper care.
Despite being fluent in both English and Greek, 80-year-old Stefanatos does not speak any French.
Zeliotis said he was assured that she would be put into a bilingual nursing home, but instead was placed in CHSLD Rousselot, a facility where the majority of the staff speaks French.
Zeliotis says his wife’s caregivers would only speak to her in French, making communication difficult.
He says attempts to speak to the nurse in charge at the nursing home were rebuked -- including an attempt to speak with a nurse in French, which ended in the nurse hanging up on him.
"Ici au Quebec, on parle francais," he recalled her telling him – “This is Quebec, we speak French.”
Zeliotis’ story reached Quebec Health Minister Gaetan Barrette earlier this week. Barrette called Zeliotis’ treatment “totally unacceptable.”
“This is not the way to answer patients, to treat patients, and their families,” Barrette said in a radio interview. “Efforts are made as we speak to make sure that patient will be transferred as soon as possible.”
Despite the minister’s assurances, Zeliotis remains apprehensive that anything will change.
Stefantos is currently at the nearby Maisonneueve Hospital being treated for pneumonia, but Zeliotis says he’s been told she’ll have to go back to the nursing home, as there isn’t room for her anywhere else.
Since going public with his story, a non-profit home care agency has stepped up to help Stefantos receive proper care.
Jennifer Boivin, Montreal-area manager of Elizz home care agency, says that when she first heard about the struggle the couple was going through, she immediately tried to figure out what the agency could do to help.
“It really touched me thinking that someone in this state and in this part of their health has to go through this,” Boivin said.
The agency is providing a private caregiver for Stefantos at no charge, so she can get the care and companionship she needs in English.
Boivin told CTV Montreal that one of their caregivers has already started with Stefantos, and that she’ll be meeting with the couple on Monday to talk about what else they can do to help.
“I was amazed you know... it was like something came from God – a present,” Zeliotis said.
It’s not the first time Zeliotis has been an advocate for patient’s rights.
Back in 2005, Zeliotis and Dr. Jacques Chaoulli took a case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada after Zeliotis waited nearly a year to receive hip surgery.
The case was a success, with the court ruling that his wait time violated his Charter rights.
Now, at 87, the fight is even more personal.
“They didn't show any passion,” Zeliotis said. “That hurts me a lot.”
He’s hoping his voice can make a difference once more, for Alexandra, and others like her.
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Angela Mackenzie
