ctvmontreal.ca
Aug. 15, 2012
The family of an 83-year-old woman wants criminal charges brought against the long-term healthcare facility where she died, claiming she was a victim of elder abuse.
Gilberte Lemieux-Vachon died of a bedsore she received while at the Manoir Saint-Eustache on April 1, 2011. She lived at the centre following a stroke.
A Quebec Ombudsman’s report released Wednesday revealed there were gaps in the care provided to the elderly woman, and that she had no access to psychosocial and nutritional services.
With little use of her arm following the stroke, Lemieux-Vachon needed extra care from staff and was given a bell next to her bed to signal for assistance.
“Our mom told us they pushed it out of the way so she couldn't contact them,” because they thought she was too demanding, said Gilbert Vachon, her son.
When she developed a bedsore, it became a major concern for the family, he said.
“I didn't know what a bedsore is before I saw this. I thought it was a redness thing, but it is a hole. The whole is two inches by two inches in diameter,” he explained.
The Lemieux-Vachon family said it was first spotted in October 2010, but the coroner's report noted it was only mentioned in her file the following February, and she only visited a doctor a month after that.
By then, the doctor noted it was badly infected and producing a nauseating odour.
At that point, Lemieux-Vachon was admitted to hospital, where she died
The coroner concluded the bedsore led to the death, and called it preventable
Her family, along with the Association québécoise des retraité(e)s des secteurs public et parapublic say her treatment is unacceptable and are demanding better care for elderly residents of long-term care centres.
"I was deeply moved by Ms. Lemieux-Vachon's story. The circumstances under which she passed away are appalling. Nothing like this should ever happen again," said AQRP president Lyne Parent in a statement.
No one from the Manoir Saint-Eustache would comment, except to say Lemieux's death is sad, but an isolated case.
Abridged
SOURCE: Montreal CTV News
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