Approximately 80 patients were transferred from hospitals across Calgary to AgeCare Glenmore, a long-term care facility serving mainly elderly residents that is slated to close in the spring, leaving families frustrated about the decision and what’s next.

These patients, mostly senior adults, were suddenly moved from various hospitals in early February without explanation, according to Lizette Elumir-Tanner, a family physician who was called to help with the transition. 

Originally stationed at AgeCare McKenzie Towne, she was asked by her medical director to assist the Glenmore location the week of Feb. 5. Elumir-Tanner said family physicians are required to be available at all hours of the day and are contracted as third-party staff. 

She said that the facility, built in 1972, stopped filling a portion of its 214 licensed beds in recent months, and that local medical practitioners understood the location’s vacancy was in preparation for its lease expiring in April. 

AgeCare Glenmore neither confirmed nor denied this, as they did not respond to LWC’s requests for comment, which were first sent on Feb. 17.

Elumir-Tanner explained that phasing out is the “humane” way to shut down a facility, and that taking in almost 80 patients at once is unheard of, given the lengthy admissions process at long-term care facilities. She said a busy day involves admitting a handful of patients. 

“Two or three is hard to do,” said Elumir-Tanner. 

“Dozens is insanity, especially for a facility that is already closing.”

Assisted Living Alberta (ALA), the provincial agency that took over management of continuing care — formerly delivered by Alberta Health Services (AHS) — in September 2025, said in an email statement that it ensures facilities are “appropriately staffed” beforehand.

“Our transition services team works closely with each resident and their acute care teams to ensure each person receives the care they need in appropriate community settings,” read the email statement. 

However, Elumir-Tanner said that the mass move put immense pressure on staff and that the facility lacked the resources for handling the surge in patients. Workflow aside, she said the paperwork and the purpose of the move were unclear, leaving families in the dark. 

“It’s outrageous and dangerous and just wrong on so many levels,” she said. 

“It has added a significant burden to health care workers who are already tired.”

Disorganization follows ‘rushed’ move, physician says

Amber Edgerton, press secretary for Alberta’s ministry of assisted living and social services, explained in an email statement that with the establishment of the ALA, the province has increased its efforts in making more acute care beds available in hospitals. 

“When continuing care facilities have vacancies, patients in hospital who no longer require acute care are transitioned into these spaces…ensuring acute hospital beds are able to be utilized by acute patients,” wrote Edgerton. 

“No patients requiring acute care are transitioned out of [the] hospital.” 

According to the AHS’s continuing care glossary, acute care is defined as the treatment of a severe injury or illness that warrants urgent medical attention and short-term hospitalization for recovery. 

Elumir-Tanner said that many of the patients she served at Glenmore did not require acute care, but rather an alternate level of care, which is when a person no longer needs immediate medical attention but is waiting to transfer to a different facility because they are not completely independent. 

Despite this, she said some of the paperwork passed on to her by AHS hospitals appeared to be incomplete. Elumir-Tanner stressed that the patients were being thoroughly cared for and were in capable hands, but that the situation felt rushed. 

“Some of them even said they didn’t think they finished their assessment,” she said. 

“I don’t even know if they’re eligible for long-term care.”

Assessments by healthcare allies, such as dietitians, social workers, and occupational therapists, make up the bulk of the admissions process at long-term care facilities. In addition, Elumir-Tanner said that consent forms must be signed before patients are moved, and that she’s unsure whether this was adequately enforced. 

She said that patients and their families seemed “confused” when they came to Glenmore. 

“Most of them are like that — ‘we were just rushed here, I don’t even know why I’m here. Am I going somewhere else? Where am I supposed to be living?’”

Not only have patients, family, and staff members allegedly not been informed of why the move happened in the first place, but Elumir-Tanner said that they have not been told what the plan is for when the facility closes.

The facility set to replace the Glenmore location is scheduled to be built in Chestermere, she said. With this being a half-hour drive from the city’s southwest, Elumir-Tanner said it is unlikely to be a viable option for families and that they have not been given the needed details. 

Physicians, families ask for accountability

LWC separately asked both the ministry and the ALA whether they or AHS made the decision to move the patients to Glenmore. In the respective email statements received on Feb. 25, neither party confirmed nor denied this. LWC requested further clarification, and this article will be updated accordingly if this is received.

Elumir-Tanner said that she sees the lack of communication from all governing parties as suspicious. To her, it looks like an attempt by either the province or the health organization to free up space in hospitals and emergency rooms. 

“From my point of view, it is a significant lack of foresight, and it’s a political move,” she said. 

“AHS wants to look good opening up beds in the hospital, so they put pressure on another part of the system and pretend to fix the hospital problem. It’s just shuffling the deck. It’s not helping the root problems.”

Incidents where residents have died in Alberta emergency rooms while waiting for medical assistance seem to have grown in recent months, namely, Prashant Sreekumar, who died at Edmonton’s Grey Nuns Community Hospital in December 2025. 

Research published in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine on Jan. 29 examined emergency room visits at 14 hospitals across the province between May 2022 and March 2023. The study points to hospital capacity as a “critical” problem that should be addressed to reduce wait times.

Just before the new year, the Government of Alberta announced that the province would be investing billions over the next 10 years to build more continuing care spaces, with the intention of improving the availability of acute care beds in hospitals. 

The province states that its efforts have reduced the number of non-acute patients staying in hospital beds by 20 per cent in the last six months. 

Part of this achievement is credited to the Feb. 18 launch of the online Assisted Living Navigation Portal, which employs short questionnaires to help residents find and begin the intake process at continuing care homes.

“Finding assisted living shouldn’t be complicated,” said minister of assisted living and social services, Jason Nixon, in a news release. 

“As Albertans age, it’s critical that they understand the supports available to them. This new portal cuts through the complexity, making it easier for Albertans to find the right assisted living option for them and take the next step with confidence.”

However, Elumir-Tanner recommended that the province continue expanding its long-term care facilities while not forgetting to prioritize the concerns of family members and patients already involved in the system. 

“I have no idea why this was done, but it caused harm to vulnerable people who don’t complain,” said Elumir-Tanner.