Disabled man, families future up in the air

We have an update on Eric Jensen. He’s the 46-year old severly disabled man who was basically evicted for a period of time from his group home that’s run by Community Living Hamilton at the end of October. At that time management told his parents his care was more complicated after a surgery and it wasn’t sure community living could properly care for him anymore. Eric’s fate was up in the air. But after some media attention, Community Living let him come back. Tonight, the Jensens are back to square one, and Eric’s future at his home is once again uncertain.

Eric Jensen’s mother Rhoda says her 46-year-old son’s care is far less complicated now than before he had surgery to remove a bowel obstruction. Eric now has an ostomy bag: “It really is easier managements now with an ostomy bag versus a diaper.”

Community Living Hamilton expressed concern about caring for Eric because of the ostomy bag. He was discharged from its Appleford Group Home, where he’s lived for 26 years, after Eric got sick in October and was admitted to hospital. That’s when Rhoda contacted the media and shortly after Community Living said Eric could come back. At a meeting Wednesday, Rhoda says Community Living at first said Eric can continue to live at Appleford, but then this letter made it clear to her that Eric’s future is still up in the air: “It’s all about dollars and cents, all about statistics, guys and gals are there longer so the waiting lists are basically frozen. This is all setting the stage for an eventual discharge.”