AHS temporarily freezes respite care at Rotary Flames House

The Rotary Flames House in Calgary will be temporarily halting respite admissions to support the ongoing influx of acutely ill patients intakes at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

The patients requiring care are from the Emergency Department, Pediatric Care, and Inpatient Units.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) confirmed in a statement Friday that the children’s hospital “have made the difficult decision to temporarily pause respite admissions at Rotary Flames House and redeploy our staff to assist in supporting patients at the hospital.”

The statement reads that AHS will work together with families to see respite care patients discharged from the Rotary Flames House by Dec. 6.

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“We understand this temporary pause in respite services may be concerning and difficult for our clients and families. We will do our best to resume this important service as soon as possible,” read the AHS release.

Rotary Flames House provides comprehensive palliative care services for children with life-limiting illness and their families including end-of-life care and grief support. All these services will temporarily move to the children’s hospital alongside the staff.

“These are extraordinary times, and we thank Albertans in advance for their support and understanding,” said the release.