Elder abuse rampant in nursing homes
n
An investigation by a major Ottawa newspaper shows there is something very wrong at the capital’s long-term care facilities. The 27 residences are home to some of Ottawa’s most frail citizens — the elderly. These Ontario homes have been the sites of elder abuse, ranging from sexual abuse, improper care resulting in death and violence.
Some of the reports show residents left sitting in their own excrement, some not being fed and some being given the wrong medication. The newspaper said that 163 cases of abuse have been reported along with 17 deaths resulting from noncompliance with legislation that governs these facilities. All told, there were more than 2,000 cases of noncompliance in these facilities in the same time period. In 2017 alone, there have been 400 citations, so things aren’t getting better, according to the newspaper report.
n
There have been incidents when the elderly have been made to sleep in urine-soaked sheets. Combative residents beat up on other residents; one woman choked to death before her meal plan was changed (she had been having difficulty swallowing). These kinds of incidents are happening at every one of the city’s long-term care facilities.
Elder abuse is a horrendous crime. If the family members of loved ones in these kinds of long-term care facilities suspect their loved ones have been the victims of elder abuse, they have the right to talk to a lawyer about their suspicions. A personal injury lawyer in Ontario would be able to offer advice on how to go about pursuing compensation in instances of elder abuse.
Source: ottawacitizen.com, “Ottawa nursing homes have seen at least 163 cases of abuse since 2012“, Drake Fenton, Dec. 18, 2017
n
