A 89-year-old Saint John man has spent more than 15 months living in a hospital room while he waits for a nursing home placement — and he still isn’t on the official provincial waitlist.
Harold “Malcolm” Jones was admitted to Saint John Regional Hospital in August 2024 for a serious urinary tract infection. He recovered medically, but his mobility challenges, dementia and other health needs mean he can no longer live safely at home, according to his family.
Despite that, Jones has yet to be assessed by the province’s Department of Social Development — the first step to getting on New Brunswick’s long-term care waitlist. Without that assessment, he remains in a semi-private hospital room that staff say could otherwise be used for acute care patients.
‘The hospital is no place for him’
Jones’s daughter, Debbie, visits daily and brings personal items to make the space feel less clinical. But the routine, she says, is no substitute for the structured support her father needs.
“It’s heartbreaking to see my dad like this,” she said. “The hospital is no place for him — it’s loud, the staff are stretched thin, and he needs real care for his dementia. We’ve been waiting forever, and he’s not even on the list yet.”
Before his admission, the family had cared for Jones at home following his wife’s death in 2023. As his dementia progressed, that became untenable. The family sought a nursing home placement through the hospital, but the process stalled in what they describe as a bureaucratic loop: no assessment, no waitlist — and no way out of the hospital.
Hospital beds blocked by long-term care delays
Jones is one of many “alternate level of care” patients across New Brunswick who are medically ready for discharge but have nowhere appropriate to go. Hospital leaders say this group routinely occupies a significant share of inpatient beds, a strain that ripples across emergency departments and operating rooms.
Industry reports have flagged New Brunswick as having some of the longest waits in the country for long-term care placement. Families and advocates say the bottleneck has worsened since the pandemic, as staffing shortages slowed assessments and moved-in dates, and as the province’s aging population grew. More than one in five New Brunswickers is now over 65.
Advocates have urged the government to add capacity and speed up assessments. Sharon Murphy of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents’ Rights has said that hospital backups are “making a bad situation worse,” pointing to a waitlist that has hovered near 1,000 people in recent years.
Province promises action, families see little change
The Higgs government has announced periodic measures to move hospital patients into long-term care more quickly, including temporary prioritization for certain facilities. Health officials say the steps are intended to free up beds over the short term while longer-range solutions are developed.
However, families like the Joneses say those policies haven’t helped people who aren’t even on the list. Because the process requires a Social Development assessment, patients stuck in hospital without that evaluation fall through the cracks — and remain in beds that hospitals need for acute care.
Experts warn the human costs are high. Older adults kept in hospital for extended periods tend to lose strength and independence, face greater infection risks, and experience worsening cognitive symptoms without the routines and programming found in dedicated long-term care settings.
A growing system-wide problem
Jones’s case mirrors other stories across the province in recent years, including seniors who spent months in transitional units or on medical wards while awaiting placement. Providers say staffing shortages, limited bed supply, and slow assessments form a “three‑legged stool” that keeps the system off balance.
For now, Jones remains at Saint John Regional Hospital. His daughter continues to push for the assessment that would put him on the path to a nursing home bed — and free up a hospital room for someone in immediate need.
“We’re not asking for special treatment,” she said. “Just the assessment, and a safe place for Dad to live.”
