Yukon couple, married 75 years, now forced to live apart because Watson Lake has no long-term care options

Lloyd and Evelyn Kostiuck of Watson Lake, Yukon, have been married for 75 years.

And according to their son Cliff Kostiuck, there hasn't been much that could keep the two apart from each other over the years.

That was until Evelyn, 95, lost her mobility in January.

She now needs 24-hour care. That's meant moving into an extended care facility in Whitehorse, a five-hour drive away from Watson Lake — and from her 99-year-old husband.

There are currently no local options in Watson Lake for those who require long-term care.

Cliff told CBC News that being apart from Evelyn is taking a toll on his father.

"Ever since my mother went into extended care, his health has gone downhill," Cliff said. "The stress of being apart makes it hard for them."

On Tuesday, Cliff brought his father to Whitehorse to see Evelyn for the first time in two months.

He said the expense to travel to Whitehorse, find accommodations, and cover other costs while there prevent them from visiting more often.

"If they had the accommodation for our mother with a second bed in the room, it would make his transition a lot easier," Cliff said. "If they had a place where people could book it for a couple ... they could stay together."

Cliff says if there was an option for long-term care to be provided in Watson Lake, it would save some families a lot of headaches and heartaches.

Cliff said he was surprised when the Yukon government decided to call off its plan last year for two long-term beds at the Watson Lake hospital.

A room at the Watson Lake hospital that was earmarked to be converted from an in-patient bed to long-term care, before the territorial government cancelled those plans last year. (Cheryl Kawaja/CBC)

He said he was even more surprised to learn that a local contractor had offered to build a facility at a very affordable cost, and nothing ever happened.

"[Watson Lake] needs something," he said. "The two beds aren't the answer but it's definitely a start. You've got to start someplace."

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MLA pushes for local options

Patti McLeod is the Yukon Party MLA for Watson Lake. She said the Kostiucks' story is just one of many like it in Watson Lake, and throughout the Yukon

She said she's been trying to get the Yukon government to discuss the construction of an extended care facility in Watson Lake but it has been "unwilling to engage" in the conversation.

"It's not a new idea," McLeod said. "Before we had a hospital built, we were building extended care.

"And then there was problems with the building, it turned into a hospital ... This is really a project that's been delayed for a number of years."

Watson Lake MLA Patti McLeod said the Kostiucks' story is just one of many about people leaving their community to access extended care services in Whitehorse. (Sue Rudd)

McLeod said if an extended care home can be run in Dawson City, there is no reason it can't happen in Watson Lake.

She said the government should at least reconsider the two long-term care beds at the hospital, so local residents who require extended care can still be close to their families.

"The people in Whitehorse who are making these decisions should maybe look at what happens if one of their people had to be sent to Watson Lake for instance," McLeod told CBC News. "Suddenly it's a different problem, isn't it?

"For some reason I think the government thinks it's very easy for people in Watson Lake to just go to Whitehorse."

Needs assessment underway

Dr. Lindsey Campbell, a physician and current chief of staff at the Watson Lake hospital, said the department of Health and Social Services hasn't taken the idea of having two long term care beds in the hospital off the table. She said there were just some things that needed to be worked out first.

One of those things was staffing, she said, another was to first conduct a community needs assessment.

"The community is asking for a facility," Campbell said. "They didn't just want two beds. That was supposed to be a kind of temporary solution."

The 2 long term care beds at the Watson Lake hospital 'was supposed to be a kind of temporary solution,' said Dr. Lindsey Campbell, the hospital's chief of staff. (Cheryl Kawaja/CBC)

Campbell said the community needs assessment will be conducted over the next two years.

She said she knows two years is a long time and there is a need for long term care in Watson Lake now. She said that her team has been working behind the scenes to find a workable solution for residents in the meantime.

Campbell couldn't provide details but assured that an interim solution is on the horizon.

"There is work being done," she said. "The community hasn't seen the fruit from this work, but we're hopeful that it will be coming."