‘She was so dehydrated, her eyelids were stuck to her eyes’: P.E.I. families speak out about long-term care conditions

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Marion was an exquisite, completely satisfied girl who was all the time dressed to the nines from her hair to her footwear, Jean Cutcliffe mentioned about her member of the family.

“She by no means needed to hassle anybody, she by no means spoke badly of anybody. She was simply the kindest particular person,” mentioned Cutcliffe to a bunch gathered within the official opposition workplace in Charlottetown July 12 to listen to P.E.I.’s Inexperienced social gathering name for a public inquiry into long-term care in Prince Edward Island.

Marion entered a personal long-term care dwelling in Charlottetown in 2019 after a hip harm led to an amputation and required extra assist each day.

“She was within the dwelling to get care, however she didn’t get that care,” mentioned Cutcliffe, who was dwelling in Ontario on the time of Marion’s keep.

The household had a number of issues with the care Marion obtained. For instance, whereas within the dwelling, Marion suffered frequent urinary tract infections, and Cutcliffe mentioned it was a problem every time to get a urine check and applicable antibiotics.

Then, the night of Aug. 2, 2020, throughout a telephone name, Cutcliffe mentioned Marion sounded very weak.

Cutcliffe had struggled to keep up her composure whereas sharing her expertise and at this level, she took a number of lengthy pauses as she fought again tears.

“She mentioned every little thing was darkish. She couldn’t see. She couldn’t open her eyes.”

Cutcliffe was apprehensive Marion was having a stroke and referred to as the nurses’ station to precise her issues.

“She’s high-quality,” mentioned the particular person on the telephone.

“She’s not high-quality, she will be able to’t open her eyes, she has to go to the hospital proper now,” mentioned Cutcliffe.

The employees member mentioned employees weren’t allowed to name an ambulance.

“Effectively, both you name, or I name,” mentioned Cutcliffe.

Marion was taken to the hospital.

“my query is, how can a nursing dwelling that’s speculated to be offering care enable this to occur? It didn’t occur in a single day.” — Jean Cutcliffe

Cutcliffe mentioned Marion seemed like a corpse in pictures her sister despatched her from the hospital.

“She was so dehydrated,” Cutcliffe’s voice cracked and he or she paused, gathering energy. “She was so dehydrated, her eyelids had been caught to her eyes.”

Cutcliffe mentioned hospital nurses had been shocked at Marion’s situation.

“Her catheter was past disgusting, it seemed prefer it hadn’t been cleaned or modified in a really very long time. She was stuffed with an infection, from a UTI that, once more, wasn’t handled,” mentioned Cutcliffe, including that there was additionally a difficulty with Marion’s remaining leg that was solely revealed to household when she was within the hospital.

“So principally my query is, how can a nursing dwelling that’s speculated to be offering care enable this to occur? It didn’t occur in a single day. For my part, it was a case of long-term neglect.”

After her shut name, Marion improved throughout her months in hospital. She was discharged to dwell at a special long-term care dwelling, however she by no means totally recovered. She died a month after her launch from hospital.

Cutcliffe and her household filed a grievance with public well being and an investigation occurred, however the household has not been allowed to see the ultimate report.

Name to motion

P.E.I. Inexperienced Social gathering Chief Peter Bevan-Baker mentioned his workplace has heard from numerous individuals with family members in long-term care.

“Each story is exclusive and totally different, however all of them have some commonalities. These commonalities are that they’re each heartbreaking and that they’re alarming,” mentioned Bevan-Baker. “Our issues at the moment are associated to authorities failure. This isn’t a critique of the front-line staff who’re working so arduous, so diligently, so fastidiously, so lovingly in our houses in a system that doesn’t enable them to offer the extent of care that they need and wish to offer for Island seniors.”

“Thirty-six days. That’s how lengthy it took for our very important mom to be stripped of her dignity, her independence and, lastly, her life.” — Patricia Thorburn Maneta

Patricia Thorburn Maneta additionally shared the story of her mom who needed to transfer from her accessible residence at Geneva Villa into a personal long-term care dwelling in Charlottetown in October 2021. A damaged arm left her unable to switch herself out of her wheelchair.

“Our mom was 88 years previous, valued her independence, beloved to socialize, learn books and play video games on her iPad,” mentioned Thorburn Maneta. “She was sharp, very sharp, witty and beloved to snicker. 

“Being in a wheelchair by no means restricted her capacity to have a satisfying life.”

Thorburn Maneta’s mom had been trying ahead to extra socialization at her new dwelling, however simply 36 days after transferring in, she was useless.

“Thirty-six days. That’s how lengthy it took for our very important mom to be stripped of her dignity, her independence and, lastly, her life.”

Thorburn Maneta was dwelling in Greece on the time and couldn’t return to Canada because of COVID-19 journey restrictions, so her sister, Jacqui Chaisson often visited their mom every day. On on Nov. 6, Chiasson had not been in for a couple of days because of an sickness of her personal. When Chaisson noticed her mom, she was barely aware in mattress, below nothing however a sheet. Blankets had been saved out of attain. The window was open. There was no water close by.

Chaisson was upset and anxious at her mom’s situation. She stayed for 5 hours that night serving to her mom devour some fluids. Lastly, employees advised Chaisson to depart. Reluctantly she did, solely to obtain a name from the house the next morning at 7:30 a.m. that her mom was unresponsive.

Chaisson rushed to her aspect in time for her loss of life.

“A damaged arm shouldn’t be a loss of life sentence,” mentioned Thorburn Maneta to these gathered on the name for an inquiry.

Lack of dignity

Each households described what gave the impression to be a harsh initiation their family members confronted on their first night time in long-term care. Each girls had been advised there could be no help to the washroom in a single day.

“That’s why you put on a diaper, and the morning employees will clear you up,” Marion was advised.

“From her first night time in that facility, her dignity was taken from her,” mentioned Cutcliffe and choked again tears earlier than she continued. “Now simply think about if somebody mentioned that to you. How would you are feeling?”

Thorburn Maneta mentioned their mom was advised the identical factor and recounted the expertise to her, “with tears in her eyes.”

Chaisson’s mom’s motorized wheelchair was stored within the corridor, removed from the place she might get to it.

One member of the family mentioned she noticed one positioned out of attain of residents.

Marion’s visits from household had been monitored by employees. Cutcliffe wonders in the event that they had been hovering to make sure Marion didn’t converse freely about her care.

Panel not sufficient

One other commonality was that each households mentioned they apprehensive about penalties for his or her family members after they advocated for his or her care.

When requested what the repercussions may need been, they listed companies like bathing, or a glass of water could be withheld.

The province’s Lengthy-Time period Care COVID-19 Knowledgeable Panel will ship its last report back to P.E.I. cupboard, which is able to then develop a report for the general public, mentioned the province’s phrases of reference doc.

However Bevan-Baker says a public inquiry would make all the knowledge accessible so authorities and business would have the info they should repair the issues.

“We’re not right here to say every little thing is unsuitable,” mentioned Bevan-Baker. “There are a lot of good issues, however except we now have entry to all the info, and except authorities goes to offer Islanders publicly with all of that info, we’re not going to have all the issues we have to know.”

SaltWire requested for a response from Well being and Wellness Minister Ernie Hudson and was equipped with a written assertion.

“Whereas the minister of well being and wellness has established the exterior overview panel, it was determined the panel would report via to govt council. This enables the panel to behave impartial of the division, with suggestions of the panel going on to govt council. Because the minster appointed the panel, the panel does have the authority to hunt the required info for them to hold out their work,” learn the assertion. “Members of the panel had been chosen primarily based on their experience, data and lived expertise with the long-term care sector. The panel may have the power to entry illness specialist and epidemiologists as they perform their work.”

Cutcliffe wish to see uniform requirements of care and coaching throughout public and privately run care houses in addition to unscheduled inspections of houses with stronger penalties for violating the usual of care.

“Our seniors, they deserve higher than this. Change does have to occur, and the federal government wants to begin making modified to the system immediately,” mentioned Cutcliffe. “I do hope that our provincial and federal governments each discover it of their hearts and pocketbooks to hear to those households and residents and employees and promote change.”

Alison Jenkins is a well being reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. She could be reached by e mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @ReporterAlison.