CHAPTER 77

2026-07-25

I found myself staying in a psychiatric ward again. Seven years later, the experience was remarkably different.

In June 2019, I was admitted to the psychiatric unit at Royal Columbian Hospital because of acute depression. Seven years later, I returned to the same hospital. This time, however, I was not the patient. I was there as a family member, staying by Lun's side while he was hospitalized. The difference was that this stay was in the hospital's new building.

Royal Columbian Hospital is the oldest regional hospital in British Columbia, having begun service in 1862 with just 30 beds. It has expanded continuously over the years and is now operated by Fraser Health. It is currently in the midst of a major redevelopment project.

The redevelopment spans 13 years, from 2016 to 2029, and is being completed in three phases.

The first phase was the construction of a new mental health building. Work began in 2016, and the facility opened in July 2020, one year after I was discharged. The number of psychiatric beds increased to 75, and the building has now been in operation for six years.

The second phase, from 2020 to mid-2026, was the construction of a new Acute Care Tower with capacity for 200 patients. It officially opened on May 31 this year. Lun used its services twice after just 18 days of its opening.

One of the highlights of the new Acute Care building is its soaring entrance atrium and corridor. The natural design and gentle atmosphere create a calming effect, allowing visitors to feel peaceful simply by walking through it.

The third phase, running from mid-2026 until 2029, will reorganize and integrate the remaining hospital services with the two new buildings. By the time the project is completed, I will be seventy years old. If I am still alive, I may have many opportunities to use these facilities.

The old psychiatric ward consisted of two buildings, with patients assigned according to the severity of their conditions. The three-storey concrete buildings had become badly outdated by 2019.

Back then, the washrooms and bathing facilities were shared by men and women separately. Cold drafts entered the rooms, smoking was done against the rule in enclosed areas, and the smell of smoke and amonia lingered constantly. The lack of privacy, poor hygiene, and aging facilities were frequent sources of criticism.

The new building, by contrast, has a modern exterior and an elegant, spacious interior. Each private patient room is about three times the size of those in the old ward and includes its own bathroom, providing much greater privacy.

Safety remains the foremost design priority, minimizing the risk of accidental injury or self-harm. The building is centrally air-conditioned, and the windows cannot be opened. Furniture is kept to a minimum. The chairs are extremely heavy, making them difficult to move. The desks are fixed directly to the walls without legs. The doors are thick and heavy. Storage cabinets have few doors, and the drawers are kept locked to prevent patients from hiding dangerous objects. The rooms contain no protruding fixtures or sharp objects, including items such as pens. Even the bathrooms have no towel bars, eliminating the possibility of patients using them to hang themselves.

Visitors are still required to register upon arrival. First-time visitors must surrender their personal belongings for inspection. Sharp items, such as razors, must be left in the care of the staff. Patients are required to hand over their mobile phones.

A clean, comfortable outdoor garden with soothing colours offers patients a peaceful place to relax. The spacious central lounge serves as both a dining and recreation area, while allowing staff in the nearby office to observe patients' behaviour and condition at all times.

Lun has now spent many days in the psychiatric ward. Although he has been sleeping, he remains in an extremely anxious state during his waking hours. The medical team has finally agreed that the psychiatric medication he has taken for nearly twenty years is no longer effective, and they have decided to try a different medication.

Changing psychiatric medication requires a transition period and time for adjustment. Lun may experience instability for three, five, or seven days, or even several weeks. Naturally, I feel uneasy, but all I can do is wait patiently and observe.

Because Lun has been making frequent high-pitched vocalizations that disturbed other patients' sleep, he was transferred this morning to a double room. It is twice the size of his previous room and contains two hospital beds.

The service has been upgraded—as though we had been moved from business class to first class. It benefits everyone. As Lun's permanent overnight caregiver, I have also been assigned my own bed for the night. The additional cost must be at least a thousand Canadian dollars per night. As a result, the beach chair, blanket, and pillow that I had brought with me were immediately sent back home.

That, at least, is a small blessing amid the hardship.