Helen MacPherson watched helplessly as her dad was strong-armed into a long- term-care home she considered abominable.

She was blindsided by the hospital's threat to charge hundreds of dollars a day if her family refused the move.

The 60-year-old Ancaster grandmother thought she knew long-term-care inside out. She'd worked as a gerontological nurse, helped place her mother-in-law in a home and volunteered there.

Never did she imagine her father would end up in this situation when a bad fall down the basement stairs landed him in hospital and made it obvious he needed to be in a home.

"All of a sudden we got a call saying they had a spot and that's where he's going," she said. "If we refused, we'd have to pay the hospital ($300 a day). I couldn't afford it. We didn't have much choice."

Hamilton's tough stance to keep surgeries from being cancelled and emergency rooms from overcrowding is in stark contrast to Burlington.

Burlington has 124 people on the waiting list for long-term care, and at most 15 of them are in hospital.

That compares to 583 waiting in Hamilton, with at least 190 of them in hospital or temporary beds at St. Joseph's Villa in Dundas.

Many are trying to get into the same newer homes because Hamilton has more older facilities that are below current design standards for long-term care.

Only 1,628 of Hamilton's 3,900 long-term-care beds are in facilities built in the past five years, compared to 868 of Burlington's 1,220 beds.

Dick Seguin was well prepared when his 91-year-old mother became too frail to stay in her Burlington apartment after battling pneumonia and angina earlier this year.

Seguin visited homes and narrowed it down to three -- all built in the past five years. Two weeks later, his mother got into their third choice. "When she got there, she was delighted. She's settled in nicely."

There is no fairy-tale ending for MacPherson's dad. A year-and-a-half later, she's given up on getting him into one of her family's top three picks. He's moved to a more acceptable home, but it's not what she would have chosen.

"We've made the best of it," she said. "You think they're going in there, they're going to be cared for and your worries are over. But you really have to advocate, keep an eye out and communicate with staff."

It's made her 86-year-old mother terrified of long-term care.

"The thought makes her cringe," said MacPherson. "It's why she's still in the house and she's going to be there until the bitter end."

jfrketich@thespec.com

905-526-3349

Need to Know:

What: Open forum on eldercare * When: Today, 7:30 to 9 p.m. * Where: The Spectator auditorium, 44 Frid St. * Specialists in home care, long-term care and advocates for seniors * Free of charge, but please register in advance at 905-526-3535 * It will be broadcast on Cable 14: Saturday, June 16, 7 p.m.; Sunday, June 17, noon; and Tuesday, June 19, noon.