LTC residents trapped in their rooms
Courtice home probing why handles removed in disturbing incident
A Durham Region retirement home is under investigation after an unknown number of residents were allegedly trapped in their rooms in an incident one seniors’ advocate calls “horrifying.”
David Bird, president and chief executive officer of Diversicare Canada, said in a statement he was “deeply disturbed to learn that a small number of resident suite door handles were removed” in assisted living units at White Cliffe Terrace Retirement Residence, located in Courtice, just east of Oshawa.
“As soon as we became aware of the incident, all residents’ door handles were immediately reinstalled,” he said. “We are connecting with residents and family members to let them know what happened, how truly sorry we are, and the steps we are taking to prevent this from happening again. Residents and family members trust us to provide a very high standard of service to our residents and we let them down. We will do everything we can to earn back their trust.”
Bird added it’s not clear how long the residents were trapped, and that will be part of the company’s investigation. He said the general manager at the home has been placed on leave and the company is “thankful” no residents were harmed.
Broad Reach Communications is providing PR support for Diversicare Canada, and when asked if the individuals locked in their rooms had COVID-19, spokesperson David Scott responded they will only be providing Bird’s statement.
According to Durham Region Public Health’s website, White Cliffe has had two COVID-19 outbreaks, one that started on Dec. 20 and was declared over on Jan. 9, and another that started Jan. 15 and was declared over on Feb. 4.
Although there may be some residents with cognitive impairment, such as dementia, who don’t understand measures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, Bird said there are “strict protocols in place,” as well as safety alarms and increased staffing. He added the company has sent a senior member of the team to review all operations at the residence.
Long-term-care advocate Vivian Stamatopoulos said she’s “horrified” at the decision to take door handles off rooms, which she calls “terribly wrong.”
“We don’t know how many, and we don’t know how long these individuals were trapped,” said the associate teaching professor at Ontario Tech University, whose research focuses on family caregiving.
“It’s also a fire hazard. Can you even imagine if there was some sort of emergency and they had to vacate the premise? There are so many layers of negligence here.”
Clarington Fire Chief Gord Weir said emergency services and Durham Regional Police are investigating the home as a result of the incident.
“Once we became aware of the allegations we had prevention staff attend. Durham Regional Police Services were notified as well, Durham Public Health were notified and an inspector assisted us,” Weir said in an email.
“An investigation is ongoing, and what I can say is all residents are safe at this time and there are no issues with any of the rooms.”
Stamatopoulos added she would like to see the manager of the home fired and criminal charges laid.
“Anybody who thinks that was a good decision should not be working with vulnerable seniors, plain and simple. I think a strong message needs to be sent to this provider that this shouldn’t have happened and this should never happen again.”
Elric Pereira, press secretary for the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, said in an emailed statement the incident at White Cliffe Terrace is “completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
“We have reached out to the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) to ensure a thorough investigation is conducted.”
RHRA spokesman Phil Norris said in an email they have been in touch with the police about the matter.