The Canadian Red Cross at the Quebec Ministry of Health condemned the fate reserved for an elder at the end of life at CHSLD Providence-Saint-Joseph, earlier this month, Radio-Canada learned.
Marie M., 81, a small woman nearly 1.50 m tall, died the night of Feb. 8 to 9 in her bed at this private CHSLD in Montreal, owned by the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence.
Three days earlier, a Red Cross service aide, who was present in support during the COVID-19 outbreak, was surprised at the treatment reserved for the resident. He saw the abuse there.
On Feb. 5, a Red Cross health aid worker found a woman constipated and naked in her stool.explanation by Canadian Red Cross spokesman Jean-Sébastien Pariseau.
The service aide immediately informed the living environment staff that the lady needed hygiene care, but follow-up was not done.
It was only after the shift change that the Red Cross worker helped the nursing staff clean up the old woman, a task she was not normally authorized to do.
” Although our service aides were not empowered to judge whether it was a case of abuse or not, we informed the ministry of a possible case of neglect. “
The Red Cross notified senior authorities of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) on February 17, after leaving the scene, at the end of its three -week mission at CHSLD.
No inspection or monitoring visit was ordered by the government after it was informed of the situation. We forwarded the information to CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal so they could ensure appropriate follow-up.explanation by speaker Marjorie Larouche.
According to a source in Quebec, the department actually entered “investigation” mode when Radio-Canada started asking questions of various stakeholders.
Lack of staff
The Ministry of Health called on the Red Cross in reinforcement in Quebec, at the end of December, to provide 300 service aids, primarily to go and provide assistance in living environments for seniors in poverty.
At CHSLD Providence-Saint-Joseph, service aides helped break up the separation, brought food and made beds, among other things.
The union that represents attendants and nurses, SQEES-FTQ, did not want to give us an interview.
Employees we met at the site told us that the establishment was facing a staff shortage and that the placement agency workers were present.
According to these employees, residents usually undress and their diapers are overflowing. There will be 2 attendants for 25 CHSLD residents.
An aggressive resident, according to some source
It is not possible to get an interview with someone who manages CHSLD, despite our efforts by phone, in writing and on site.
However, according to a source from the establishment’s management, Marie M. was an aggressive resident who refused to let attendants change her incontinence pants. This information was confirmed to us by two other sources.
The eldest just accepted that it was a particular nurse. The consequence is that this hygiene can only be done at the end of the day.
According to our information, the old woman shouted at the staff until we had to leave the room, because there were people who were afraid of being beaten.
The ministry leadership would have deliberately ignored any restraint made on the old woman.
Still according to our information, the restraint used in CHSLD, in very rare cases, consisted of raising the sides of the bed or using a belt on the bed or chair, but could not confirm whether Marie M. was its subject.
The director general of the Association of private establishments under the agreement in Quebec, Annick Lavoie, indicates that CHSLD and the ministry are busy to go back in time to study the alleged facts.
” The situation is serious and I notice that every effort is being made, on both sides, to understand the circumstances. “
The plight of adults is in the news this week as parliamentarians consider Bill 101 on child abuse.
If passed, the law would require health network personnel to report any situation of abuse they have witnessed, under a fine of $ 2,500 to $ 25,000.
Anyone who attempts to prevent someone from making a report or retaliates after reporting in good faith will be fined up to $ 20,000 for individuals and $ 250,000 for businesses.
Improper use of restraints (physical or chemical) is recognized by the government as abuse. (New window)
The lack of hygiene and theinappropriate waiting for panty change is also considered as hints of physical abuse.
On Tuesday, the Minister responsible for Seniors and Carers, Marguerite Blais, announced that the Legault government can done ageism during the pandemic, before his cabinet corrected the situation. Ageism is a form of ill -treatment officially recognized by Quebec.
Private CHSLDs under the agreement meet the same standards and requirements as public CHSLDs and offer the same rates, with the only difference being that they are managed by the private sector.
The Quebec government provides a subsidy to CHSLD Providence-Saint-Joseph of more than 10 million dollars per year. In addition, an additional $ 5 million was provided to him by the ministry to meet additional pandemic -related costs.
CIUSSS is responsible, even if CHSLD is private
CHSLD is located a stone’s throw from Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont and Hôpital Santa Cabrini, in the very territory of the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
According to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, CISSS and CIUSSS are responsible with respect to private CHSLDs in their territory, whether they are under agreement or not. They should monitor and monitor the quality and safety of the services they offer to users.
However, CIUSSS was not aware of the situation until the ministry informed it last week. His spokesperson also referred our questions to MSSS.
” It is up to CISSS and CIUSSS, vis-à-vis private CHSLDs under the agreement and not under the agreement, to accompany and support them in carrying out their mandate in terms of quality and safety, especially those who have difficulty responding. to the legal requirements of them. “
In the first wave of the pandemic, health workers called for reinforcements at CHSLD Herron who found residents lying in their feces.
Restraint, a controversial practice
The investigation needs to determine whether or not there was restraint in Marie M.’s case and whether it contributed to the deterioration of her state of health. According to our information, no report was made to the coroner.
In any case, whether physical or with medication, prevention is hated by health professionals.
This is from another era, explanation of an experienced physician working with a CHSLD and preferring not to be named. According to him, even chemical prevention should be a tool of last resort.
Before restraining the eldest, you should try to calm him down in other ways, for example by reassuring him, he explains. In the case of Marie M., it seems that most of the interventions did not succeed.
Health attorney Patrick Martin-Ménard reminds us that restraint is a very well-defined practice. should only be used to prevent a patient from harming themselves or others.
As for hygiene and food care, he insisted that it should be given, even if using restraint. The lawyer recognizes that, in a context of crisis and staffing shortages, applying these principles can be more difficult.
” Unfortunately, we used isolation and restraint to fill the staff shortage. Especially when the patient has no way to denounce what is happening. “
Prevention practices have declined in Quebec for 50 years. Many standards have been changed to respect the autonomy and integrity of elders.
We are still trying to reduce the use of bed rails. We seek to respect human autonomy even if they have dementiaexplains Marie Beaulieu, holder of a maltreatment chair at Sherbrooke University.
Source: Radio-Canada
