Restrained and medicated senior spends months ‘warehoused’ in hospital

The son of an 86-year-old B.C. woman says his mom spent months “warehoused” in hospital, moved to five different units, and was restrained so often that her mental and physical illness worsened.

“People go there to get better and leave. It shouldn’t be her place to live. She has nothing there, no clothing or anything, just shoes and a sweater,” Norm Rinke told Go Public about this mother Elizabeth Rinke.

“She has a gown and that’s how she lives.”

Elizabeth Rinke has a history of mental health problems and suffers from schizoaffective disorder: a condition in which a person can experience hallucinations, delusions, mania or depression.

After living successfully in a home for seniors with similar issues for years, her family says she was “kicked out” and then “warehoused” in a hospital general ward, often chemically and physically restrained in her bed.

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Courtesy of, CBC News