I had a really bad experience here in the Young Adult ward back in February. I'll try to be as to the point as I can in an attempt to fit all of my experience in. This review is ONLY for the YA Ward, as I never experienced the rest of the hospital. I want to also preface this with the fact that my issue turned out to be a chronic illness, so this is the experience of someone that wouldn't have found the help needed in the ward, anyways. So: • My psychologist at the time, Dr Adam Abba-Aji, coerced me to admit myself into the ward. I was (and am not) a danger to myself or others, and he made it seem like some kind of mental wellness camp. "You won't want to leave, and if you do, I'll pay you. You can leave whenever you want". He did not disclose that he works there, nor that it was a ward. • I was not given orientation once admitted. I was only given a tour around the ward. I mention this because I was not expecting the hourly night check-ups and this made it very hard to get any sleep. I'm aware they check-in for a very good reason, just a heads up is all that was needed. • When I started to freak out because I was locked in with people of a profession (medical) I struggle to trust, the staff made barely an effort to make me feel safe. I was only told that "everyone comes in like this" and all that tells me is that they're not good at being sympathetic and welcoming. - During my first attempt to be released, the acting psych told me, "You're not trapped here! :)", acting as if the all doors to leave weren't locked. • I tried to be released as I was promised I was free to do. The acting psych wouldn't let me because the program "is praised by the rest of the province" and I that should feel lucky to be in there. • I'd managed to secure a weekend pass, and reluctantly came back on Monday. I was told there were programs during the day, but I was never made aware that any were happening. The only people that came to see if I wanted to participate was the gym couple and a nutrition lady, and I enthusiastically joined both. • I was called back from the gym to meet with a physician to do a very basic examination. This old man, while cupping my face, decided to make a very inappropriate comment on my appearance. This made me very uncomfortable. • I was then called to see my assigned psych (Abdulah, I believe) who compared me, a disabled woman, to his abled son. He then proceeded to shame me for not being in the same place in life. • Medication time came, and I was being given 2 new meds without being told what they are. I asked the nurse what they were, and when I told her I was refusing the anti-depressant (history of them making me suicidal), she got visibly upset with me. Later on, I got the other med taken off my list too because my actual psych said it was too big of a risk for me to be on it! • Morning came. My nurse comes in and flashes me in the face with a flashlight to wake me up. Didn't try anything else, just jumped straight to the flashlight. Very dehumanizing, in my opinion. I get they can't just shake you awake, but is there really no other way? Maybe just let us sleep since y'all don't really supply us with things to do anyways? • I'm changed to my regular psychs "care" and I tell him I'd like to be discharged. He begins to try to guilt me into staying, attempting to act like he knows my mother and how she'd feel about me leaving. I've since fired him as my psych. • Staff tried guilting me too by loudly talking about me to each other outside my door. So, no actual "programs" seemed to be going on, I was dehumanized and shamed in my short time there, met resistance when I questioned medication, said medication turned out to be things incredibly bad for me, harassed by the physician, and met with manipulation attempts when trying to leave. Avoid that ward like the plague, if you can. There's no possible way you can convince me they help anyone in a positive way.

July 9, 2022 - This facility is from 1920's, like come on government when will you see that the age of the facility holds back growth. The service is not connected to access 24/7, they know nothing about family trying to connect. And help. I know like everyone else, who my loved one is. I want to help them, so help me do that. June 23, 2022 - Any structure that was built in the 1920's is full of asbestos. The AB hospital needs to be inspected. As someone that loves someone else in the facility, you should be allowed to inspect it. May 15, 2022 - A friend was telling me about her brother. He was mentally ill, in and out of the hospital, refusing service. He was found dead this past January. There is a severe problem with the mental health program in Canada, Alberta - which is not new to anyone. However; the pattern I see, is that if someone refuses service for their mental illness, the program does nothing and it's just a matter of time until they are found dead. Is that the objective? July 8/21 - My loved one came home today and told me that they were sick and going to die within a year or two. They are 25. Did you all know that the Alberta Hospital system is not connected to Access 24/7? Which is the same system that the doctors from the Royal Alex and the UofA all input to. It would appear that Ab hospital do not support the idea of family connecting, to ensure safety of their loved ones. I wish I could give the hospital a zero, however it's not their fault. The system (data) does not get communicated to them. What I do find odd, is that every time my love one has been admitted, they have a new doctor. Why is that? May 30/21 - My loved one came to visit today, and has new knife marks on their leg. They are deep, new, and big. Right leg. I would think that the practitioners at the facility would've been able to differentiate between charm and deception. Or did they just want to wash their hands? Two weeks ago from May 30/21 - The staff are extremely caring and I appreciate their efforts, however I do feel that they (doctors) are uneducated of the illness that my loved one is suffering from. It is certain, they will see them again. My loved one, knows exactly how to play the mental health system. Too bad the doctors do not recognize it. And yes, I do seek my own therapy due to what I've endured.

The reason you don't get honest reviews here is because noone who was humbled there and learned quickly when it was a minor disorder, fixed the rest of their life in 2 months and can live an entirely sane life because of the place, a lot of it is who we voted in and the dropped funding and the laws we chose to place. I am not going to speak out on those now. I will speak out on the positive as mine was a short stay because I'm sorry, I wanted to ****ing understand why I couldn't sleep for 3 days at an end and they fixed it because I study the medical field and brain mapping works. It makes it easy and a safe place to medicate someone exactly to the T without the chance of permanent side affects nor death. A lot of medication thrown onto people not put into a hospital visit account for the deaths we don't hear calculated often. Instead, let's hold back and be enlightended. K wow, within a 2 weeks I slept like a normal person just because I was tough enough to go yeah and stay there to get help to sleep normal. Okay got everything diagnosed but the reality is if you are nice to everyone, all the nurses and doctors are nice to you. They are there to help you. That's why I would rate 5 stars. Also, they are the only hospital I've attended who actually has a really good kitchen staff, helping keep patients a lot saner on a bad day. Simply put, they have to make sure they safely figure it out for sure before they throw medication in you. That's why so many people review poorly and reject it, because of the stigma and what they think is a tv drama that's not actually happening. Its not like tv at all. They even have floor hockey at this place. Yes, I played floor hockey there when I was young getting diagnosed and yes they actually kept it safe and fun. Result? it was part of the fitness program among other programs. Its all about helping people. Also, the amount of successful volunteer work that goes through that place is baffeling. I'm amazed at the volunteer staff. Personally now, I can achieve my goals and finish Medical transcribing among anything because I can sleep to do so. Forget if you think people will judge you for having an easily fixable problem by modern science. If medication helps you, take it the same time every day and make use of what helps you today.

Horrible at 1 time decent (When there was more activities) but I'm giving Alberta Hospital a two a (2) the staff are rude toward their own people giving them minimal care and empathy the Doctors soome seem too promise you things but there word is never good oonly soome Doctors usually Female and a few Male were good keep good on there word...as well they lied in the computer system saying I've been here 5 times when it's been 4 They continuously try too over medicate you and noow there seems too be a War on the Eastern part of the Wrld After a life time spent working and serving the Hospital there is and was a lack of apathy a lack of humility and yeah you have too refuse Nurses like a trillion times and refuse there no good psyhic meds but for them too actually get that you are refusing them is quite disappointing if I am allowed too say this soome Nurses looked appropriate and acceptable however they seem too get harrased at work by these pushy men and patients got in a physical altercation with another gentleman made him do the fall back and shake then we later played bll and he said he felt better so Respect was shown but ultimately. I ask that catering and the Culinary be alot better for the patients they are refusing too release into the public called 811 about the service and care of others unlike me and not similar too me because that what hospitable Gentlemen do when they see wr(o)ng right thank you again for the Sanitation like ultimately "ask ourselves" why do we need too be medicated OOH because a Doctors needs a patients as well Nurses and all that want jobs right quite sad #Humans Akeem Ricardo Wade Ross OOH and do make Akeem a Trillionaire thank you in appreciation all spelt correctly right (?)

Pros: Amenaties, wi-fi, various activites, movies, computer lab, gym, food(at times), video games, cards, some nice and humble staff, certain helpful programs, some patients make good company, visitors, fairly clean facility. Cons: Doctors and nurses have have too much power over patients which leads straight to abuse in many cases. People forced or overly pressured to take medication that often has too many side effects which can be dangerous and life-changing. Some staff and doctors have poor communication and english skills. Some patients make pretty bad company and sometimes there is inter-patient violence(likely because people are on-edge due to how they're treated). Suggestions: Don't play with peoples health, you should be confident enough that your services are going to help that you make them voluntary. Staff and doctors should try to educate themselves on what people are going through and consider individual walks of life; it doesn't help anyone to throw labels like 'ill' and 'incompetent' just because they don't fall under your definition of "normal". Doctors should broaden their education outside mental health because they might mistake something they don't comprehend for something that indicates an illness. Have higher standards for the chemicals you tell people to put in their body, meaning less side effects and more thorough research and development.

This hospital's system, the mental health department is mess. The facility is old and not managed. There are two toilets in women's washroom. The one of them was broken and I asked to the staff to repair it but they didn't do that until two patients argued for using a toilet. The doctor says the same talking to a patient. He, Dr.Zahid Latif doesn't care patient's situation. He seems like to come to his office just as a daily routine. He was supposed to see me the next day about talking my situation again but he just went home without any metion. So I have to wait and ask him to see me today. Taking care of patients is irregularly. One day my nurse got my blood pressure, right after that the other nurse got it again because they were shift working and they wrote it on the folded blank paper without a daily reporting chart. Waking up and going to bed time are irregularly too. They said that it depends on the situation. They asked me my name again and again following me to the shower room, wash room and my room. They said for just checking it out who is in some room. They don't put patients name somewhere in the front of patients room. The food culture could be different from Canadians but they allow patients to get a delivery food from outside only on every friday. Alberta hospital is for staffs not for patients.

Sadly my partner had a stress induced psychosis and ended up in Alberta 10-1. This ward keeps locking her in rooms with no bathroom facilities. She is highly stressed and medicated which is probably effecting her urinary frequency. One night locked in such a room she kept asking to use the washroom and staff kept telling her 5 more minutes. This night she had to urinate on the floor multiple times and tried to mop the floor with her own clothes. By morning despite her mopping there was still lots of urine on the floor and she started to ask again to use the washroom again. She started to bang on the door. Instead of alleviating her needs they ushered in multiple staff to hold her down and inject her with very strong medication. I am very uneasy that my partner is in there care. Considering it was a stress induced psychosis the most important thing is keeping her stress down. I couldn't think of anything more stressful than being locked in a room with no washroom and needed to use the washroom. And, there are multiple other times she has had to pee in cups because staff is not attending to her. I do not think this unit is a competent care facility. I should not have to hold my partner while she is crying and while I tell her you did not deserve what they did to you.

Do not seek help from these people. A lot of their nurses and security staff actually cause a lot of harm on their own. By being obtuse, abusive, negligent and cruel. I nearly choked on my own toungue when I was forcibly injected with a drug that I am allergic to. When I began having distressing symtoms of a severe allergic reaction there response was to lock me in a room and not check my vitals for over 4 hours. Even though my toungue was swelling to the point where I couldn’t speak and it was making it hard for me to breath. After being out cold for two days due to that injection I was obviously unable to sleep properly so I requested very calmly to be able to sit in the common area as I have a back injury and laying down when I don’t need to causes pain. So for that I was strapped to a board for 8 agonizing hours especially since the restraints on one arm had tension. This cause a long term shoulder injury as well as a case of ptsd. The same day I was released. The staff their are twisted I dividuals that enjoy causing harm bottom line.

In building 10 of this mental hospital Dr. White + Dr. Archer +Nursing staff Sylvia + Shabiu and Elizabeth violated my canadian charter of rights, freedom and my rights to refuse treatment and medication (Starson vs Swayze year 2003). They threatened me many ways and tried to comply with their illegal demands. One way they violated my rights is by bringing in a letter from a parent (guardian (Heidie...)) that I have no knowledge of and by using that letter against me. The nurses and nursing support staff acted unstable and irradic and threatened me many ways to keep my mouth shut and sign incomplete forms. Since working staff were not trained properly or trained with a criminal intent, they need to be disciplined by terminating their employment and by setting examples to treat fellow humans humanely. Need federal level help. Lawyers with case winning potential are welcomed.

Changed my life! I voluntarily transferred to AHE from Edmonton Institution. I was due to be released in about three months, and thought after all the years of solitary, super max. and max prison, I should get some help before getting back on the street. I was in AHE for 13 months, somewhat longer than I expected. I am very glad I got the help I needed, and have stayed out of prison since my release 33 years ago. It is tough being there but worth it in the end. I said before my transfer, "No Med's" and they did agree, and never made me take any medication. The staff were great/helpful.

OMG where do I even begin...Alden Oh Alden...TOP SERVICE AND TREATMENT BETTER THAN THE HILTON I TELL YA ;) from the guy. He make the best buttered up popcorn and can't forget Ashlee with the PB & J's she even cut out the crust for me ;) Oh YA almost forgot head nurse Lisa aka Mona Lisa such an angel. The whole team is the best team of health care providers in not only Canada but #1 in the world. Dr Nelli is just a man with a plan and treats his patients with everything and anything needed. Shout out Alberta hospital. ;)

Very difficult to get nurses attention when they're at the desk. There could be six of them standing there and you come up to the window and they all ignore you. Female nurses tend to not come out from behind the counter where as male nurses are seen on the floor all the time. Male nurses also seem to be more friendly. I felt the doctor I had with pushing me to go home before I was ready and I was just charged before I felt I was ready. Overall not too bad replace some activities to help keep you busy. Food was good.

Best place to deal with your mental health and/or addictions. (Building 12) The day hospital outpatient program is exceptional and the doctors/therapists actually listen to you and don’t just prescribe you a pill and you’re on your way. There’s free transport provided by AHS and lunch is given to you based on dietary restrictions. The only negative is that the program is 21 days and you can’t stay longer. I humbly recommend this program. Take care of your mental health, everyone. It’s important Take care.

All they do is give you pills. Requested talk therapy many times. Had horrible side effects from my medications and all they did was give me more. On forced injections or else I have to return. Terrible place. Nurses took hypothetical conversations and put it on my records as if I was talking mad. Do not send your family here. A few staff are actual people who care, but at the end of the day they stay for pay checks.

I called to follow up on a missing persons lead. I understand laws and protection protocols and I wasn’t expecting detailed information, rather just reassurance that my family member was at the facility and safe. The one on the phone line had nothing more to say than “don’t you think if they are here - it’s their business and not yours?” A simple “I’m sorry, I can’t release patient information” would’ve sufficed.

tried calling to ask how being admitted into a psychiatric care works because i am afraid to be admitted & i wanted to know more about how it works to ease my mind & the lady (I believe her name was “Trudy”) was in credibly rude! definitely how you treat somebody who is feeling unwell enough to call about psychiatric care. 12/10 get some more empathetic staff.

The nurses are rude , they don’t seem to care that people come there to get help all they do is sit on their phones and talk to each other rather than patients The doctors barely show up and when they do they don’t ask any questions about anything but will sit and right things down . if u voice any type of concern or disagree with them they will call security

This place saved my life. It was the start of 30 treatments of ECT, and now, in a free-standing clinic downtown called Pulse TMS, their website PulseTMS.ca explains the treatment, which you don’t have to be put out for. A doc from Alberta Hospital, Dr. Murray runs it and is so wonderful to talk to!!

Pilgrim man sent me here, he made me go insane and develop severe mental problems. With the help of expert staff here, I began to feel like my normal self again. Hopefully I never go through that again and hope that no one has to either

2016-2022 It's been a most informative inspirational and kindness fell,on the regular and staff the sceneries around the hospital stepping outside one self to be a better self with all of the community in the NCR. Program thanks

They violate patient's rights. They just make the patient talk to two doctors without telling the patient they been screened, both doctors declare the patient insane and they can do whatever they want with that patient.

I was admitted to the YOUNG ADULTS unit a couple different times. Both admission were such an amazing experience. Staff are so caring, understanding, and they listen. I got my need meet. Thank you to the staff!

Had a tough time being allowed to visit someone here any suggestions on how I should go by doing it so I can see my loved one Been 30 days and still no phone call back or any responce

Great Food! Great service. I highly recommend this place if you ever want to get away for a weekend and enjoy a couple days of luxury and great tasting foods.

I was saved frozen potatoes tots for dinner . few years, when I was there . Thanks I’m doing better and I will never ever think going there in my life .

my wife is there since last month her name is amina this hospital is great doctor's nurse are helpful I appreciate the work they doing thanks alot

This hospital is a joke and try to keep you locked up indefinantly. I dont have any respect for them and the staff are just there for paychecks

Georgia deserves a raise and has great taste in music. Asako is also rad as well. She also deserves a raise. Would reccomend.

Hard to rate a hospital... if you are there as a patient that sucks... if you are there as a visitor that also sucks...

A remote location outside of the city. This is a mental facility for people who needs help with mental problems.

The staff try their best but being underfunded/understaffed is a problem across our entire healthcare system.

I spent 5 days in admittance, then 30 in a unit, some of the staff are sicker than the patience!!!

The staffs, volunteers, nurses, and doctors were caring and supporting.

Incredible staff, all are kind and treat all patients with dignity.

Great place if you wanna get creeped out and explore

Awesome enviornment for people who need help ....

To me this was home and always will be ...

the doctors and nurses are nice

Poor care and zero ethics.

Nice brother doing.

they wont find you

Free parking .

good ospital