PSW ‘walloped’ mother, woman says
Police, health ministry investigate 101-year-old woman’s complaint
Police and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care are investigating after a 101-year-old woman reported being “walloped” with a towel by a caregiver at her Ottawa long-term care home.
Evelyn Dick told the head nurse at Extendicare Starwood last Thursday that a personal support worker hit her on the head with a towel and told her to go back to bed when she tried to get up at about 7:15 that morning.
Officials at the long-term-care home contacted Dick’s daughter, Margaret Anthony, and told her they had reported the incident to the Ministry of Health and LongTerm Care and to Ottawa police.
When Anthony went to see her mother the next day, Dick told her it was not the first time she had been hit with a towel by the same personal support worker.
“She does it all the time,” Anthony says her mother told her. “She does it to others too.” Dick said she told the caregiver: “You had better stop it or I will report you.” According to Dick, the caregiver replied: “Go ahead and report me.”
Anthony said there were no visible marks on her mother, although she has noticed unexplained bruising in the past.
“I am really upset,” she said. “My mom is 101 and she is wheelchairbound. This is completely unacceptable.”
An Ottawa police spokesman said they do not confirm investigations unless charges are laid.
But Maureen Auld, director of care at Extendicare Starwood, confirmed that the long-term care home had contacted police and the health ministry.
“While we cannot speak to any specific incident because of patient confidentiality legislation, I can let you know that all relevant authorities have been informed, including the Ministry of Health and LongTerm Care and the police. The police are currently investigating,” she added, saying she could not discuss details of the case.
“We take these concerns very seriously and investigations are conducted to get to the root cause and work swiftly to put measures in place to ensure appropriate resolution.”
She said response could include “immediate actions” or training and staffing to “ensure corrective measures are sustained.” There was no word on whether the personal support worker in question still works at the home.
Anthony said she has had ongoing concerns about her mother’s care in recent months and has made several complaints to provincial officials, which were investigated.
The ministry also investigated a case of verbal and physical abuse of a resident by a caregiver, who was later terminated by the home, according to a ministry report from March. That 2017 incident was witnessed by housekeeping staff, who saw the resident, who was lying on the floor, called names and roughly handled by the caregiver.
The ministry found, in that case, that the home failed to promote zero tolerance of abuse and neglect of residents, failed to immediately investigate suspected cases of abuse, failed to contact police or ministry officials, and failed to immediately put the person suspected of abuse on leave, among other things. It was ordered to comply with provincial rules concerning abuse and neglect.
Anthony said she reported suspected abuse of her mother in the past and no report was completed until she went to the ministry. In the recent case, she said, she was relieved that the long-term care home called police and provincial officials, as they are required to do.
Anthony said the director of care, Auld, told her she felt sick to her stomach when she learned of the alleged abuse.
Anthony said she asked her mother to describe the way she was struck by the caregiver. She told her daughter that she thought she was being whipped with a towel that was snapped at her. She noted that her mother used the word walloped to describe what happened.
“My mother is a Scottish lady. (To her) a wallop is a good solid connection.”
Anthony said she wants to make sure nothing like this happens again.
“I have to make sure whatever I do is the best for my mom and make sure she is protected from any further abuse.”