One of the first things Charysse Cashmen noticed was her mother’s feet.
In the 53 days since Catherine Bourgeois arrived at the Outlook and District Health Centre, her feet had swollen and a fungal infection had begun on one foot.
Cashmen would later learn the 95-year-old had only been bathed twice since she arrived.
Cashmen and her daughter Jocelan Ireland say they’re “mortified” by the care Bourgeois has received and that appeals to officials haven’t yielded any change or an apology.
“I feel absolutely sick for my mother,” Cashmen said.
“People should be afforded the dignity in their old age that they’re entitled to. There’s no dignity in sitting in a nursing home in someone’s else’s clothes.”
Cashmen and Ireland say Bourgeois moved to a nursing home because dementia had caused her to wander from home, sometimes without adequate winter clothing.
Bourgeois is hearing impaired but otherwise in decent health, Ireland says. She moved to Canada from the UK as a “war bride” after the Second World War. She worked with people with mental health issues and helped raise Ireland.
“My grandmother has always been a real advocate for people,” Ireland said.
Bourgeois moved to Outlook on May 1 with the understanding she would return to Saskatoon once space allowed.
She escaped twice in two weeks.
Cashmen and Ireland learned the health centre was not a “secured environment” for people with dementia. Rather, residents wear armbands that trigger an alarm if they wander too far.
Once, Bourgeois was stopped in a lobby. Another time, she got into town; her armband had apparently malfunctioned.
“It was lucky that she turned and headed out the gate into the community,” Cashmen said. “Because if she had walked the other way she would have gone into the river.”
Ireland spoke to the home’s director, a quality of care coordinator, and then the director of continuing care Andre Moss, who said her mother was tenth on a list to be transferred. She was later moved to the #1 spot.
In a statement, Saskatchewan Health Authority spokeswoman Lisa Thomson wouldn’t comment on Bourgeois’ specific case. She said there is persistent demand for beds in Saskatoon from inside and outside the city. Transfers between nursing homes were suspended amid COVID-19, but she said individual, urgent cases were being reviewed.
Ireland says she understands space constraints but argues the home was not equipped for her grandmother’s health needs.
“We tried to say ‘her needs are well beyond what is reasonable for this home.'” Ireland said.
On her June 23 visit, Cashmen learned Bourgeois was taking Ativan, a benzodiazepine used to manage anxiety, without the family’s knowledge. A care chart the family had to pay to obtain also mentions risperidone, an antipsychotic.
Staff told Cashmen her mother hadn’t been regularly bathed because she had resisted care, which Cashmen says is not a valid excuse.
“I’ve looked after people. I had a government-approved mental health home,” Cashmen said. “Working with people, you have to have some kindness and you have to be able to approach people.”
Thomson wrote it was normal practice to consult family members on medication changes except in emergency situations.
“We are continually educating our staff on medications best practices to ensure they are constantly implemented.” she wrote.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) says 47.9 per cent of 10,127 assessed long-term care residents in the 2018-19 fiscal year had dementia.
Unions and some affiliate homes have argued funding for long-term care hasn’t kept pace with the more complex medical needs of residents.
Ireland says she feels she’s taken the right steps but her concerns have been brushed off, even when she pointed out her mother’s care didn’t meet standards in the Program Guidelines on Special Care Homes.
She says the experience has left her disillusioned.
“My grandmother would give the shirt off her back for anyone,” she said. “It’s sad that she did all of that but isn’t receiving care she needs now.”
