‘What are you doing answering the phone?’
A case of mistaken identity led New Waterford man to believe brother had died
When John Poirier received notification his brother Jim, 71, had died at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, he was overwhelmed with grief.
“He is our rock, the one who keeps everything together in our family,” said John, 82, of New Waterford.
However, it turned out his brother is still alive and well. The phone call was made in error and involved a different family with the same name.
“I’m speaking out on what happened in hopes the people that make these calls will be more careful in the future so this doesn’t happen to someone else,” John said.
It all began on Sunday, July 1, at about 1:10 p.m.
John received a call from officials with the Breton Ability Centre in Sydney asking if he was John Poirier, brother of Jim Poirier.
“They said, ‘You brother Jim is in the hospital and is not going to make it,’” he said. “I hit the roof. I was in shock.”
Being close to his brother, John didn’t know why his brother was even at the hospital. John was informed the Cape Breton Regional Hospital had been trying to reach him and asked the Breton Ability Centre to help.
In the meantime, John thought perhaps there had been a mixup and the call concerned his brother Angus, 91, who is in the Cove Guest Home, although Angus has been in fine shape.
“I asked if they meant Angus and she said, ‘No, it’s definitely Jim.’”
When asked how he felt at that moment, John’s voice became strained.
“It was the end of the world for me,” he said. “The news hit hard. I started wondering what we were going to do. Then there’s his wife and his kids and four grandchildren. We’re a close family, we couldn’t get any closer.”
For the past 12 years John has been unable to drive due to diabetes affecting his eyesight.
“Jim drives me around and he looks after anything our brother needs in the Cove and everything else.”
John was confused as to why the Breton Ability Centre would be calling, but was dealing with too much grief to question it.
Moments later, the Cape Breton Regional Hospital called also confirming if he was John Poirier, brother of Jim Poirier.
“She asked if I could come in there right away,” he said. “She said, ‘We have your brother here and they can’t revive him, I don’t think he’s going to make it.’”
John said he’d call Jim’s wife and get a drive in with her.
“She said, “Oh no, we wouldn’t want her driving in after knowing that he passed.”
While trying to deal with the trauma, John phoned his brother’s wife to break the bad news. He was floored when Jim answered the phone.
“I said, ‘What are you doing answering the phone?’ I was in shock and blasted him for answering the phone.
“Jim said, ‘Well you called my number.’”
“I said, ‘Yes but you’re in the Regional — dead!’
“Jim said, ‘I don’t think so, I’m standing here in pretty good health!’”
Jim didn’t want to be interviewed for the story but John said his brother is also happy that the message of what happened to his family is getting out.
John phoned the Breton Ability Centre to find out how they could have made such a mistake.
“The voice mail was giving numbers for all these department, so I pressed 6 and got the cook.”
John said the cook listened to what he had to say, apologized, and then gave him a phone number for an official at the centre. John informed the official that his brother was never in the hospital and is home and well and they called the wrong John Poirier.
“I could tell the cook was sorry it happened, but this woman wasn’t really sympathetic, merely sorry it had happened.” For John, everything was real. “This was one of the biggest blows to me ever.”
John said he didn’t call the regional hospital back, as he doesn’t blame them for the mixup.
“The regional couldn’t find the next-of-kin so Breton Ability was finding it for them. It was Breton Ability that made the mistake.”
John has since seen an obituary of the man in question, who had been involved with the centre.
“Why didn’t Breton Ability have a record of next-of-kin?’
Harman Singh, senior manager of resident supports and services at Breton Ability Centre, said they are extremely sorry over what occurred.
“We sincerely apologize, it was a human error, it was a mistake,” she said.
“We apologize sincerely for any emotional upset that it caused to the family that the wrong number was called.”
When asked why they wouldn’t have next-of-kin information on someone with the centre, Singh said they had two correct numbers but a third number was no longer in service.
Singh said she can’t go into any significant details but they are dealing with the incident internally and a letter of apology is going out to the family.
“We are dealing with it internally to make sure that it never happens again. We’d like to apologize to the family. It truly was a mistake and never should have happened.”
After the Cape Breton Post called Breton Ability Centre, the centre also contacted John and apologized.
“This was a real sincere apology, I could feel it,” John said.
However, the unsettled feelings and the impact of such harsh news about his brother will now with him forever.
“The hard part is I know I’m going to have to go through the same grief again some day.”
Annette Bourgeois-Bent, a spokesperson with the Nova Scotia Health Authority, said the NSHA has a process it follows when contacting next-of-kin.
“Unfortunately, incorrect information was provided to us and we recognize that it caused distress to the person contacted. It is an unfortunate situation.”