A list of some of the allegations in a military report on long-term care homes

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/05/2020 (2322 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – Members of the military called in to assist five long-term care homes in Ontario dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks wrote a report on some of the troubling observations they made at those homes. Here is a selection of the allegations, which Premier Doug Ford called horrific.

Eatonville Care Centre:

— Poor catheter care, resulting in nearly a dozen incidents of bleeding fungal infections.

— Much of the stock of medication was months out of date, meaning residents had “likely been getting expired medication for quite some time.”

— Aggressiveness when changing diapers, not stopping when resident complains of pain, and “degrading or inappropriate comments directed at residents.”

Hawthorne Place:

— “Protocols in place have a near 100 per cent contamination rate for equipment, patients and overall facility…Equipment is seldom/ever observed to be disinfected but is used between positive/negative patients.”

— “Significant gross fecal contamination was noted in numerous patient rooms.”

— Insect infestations, including ants and cockroaches.

— Patients crying for help with staff not responding, sometimes for over two hours.

Orchard Villa:

— Cockroaches and flies present.

— Patients left soiled in diapers rather than being taken to the toilet.

— Staff were not always sitting residents up before feeding them. One incident “appears to have contributed in patient death,” with a code blue due to choking during feeding while supine.

Altamont Care Community:

— “Due to significant staffing issues, most residents were reported to not having received three meals per day.”

— A significant number of residents had pressure ulcers, including up to stage four, which involves damage down to the muscle or bone.

— “Medications are being reported/documented as being given but in fact they are not.”

Grace Manor:

— Staff moving from a COVID-positive unit to other units without changing contaminated PPE.

— Leaving food in a resident’s mouth while they are sleeping.

— Not assisting residents during meals. “Staff would write the resident refused to eat, rather than helping them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 26, 2020.