A resident of a special-care home in Lower Sackville, N.S. has died from injuries sustained in an alleged assault last week.

Cpl. Scott MacRae says there was an incident between two residents at the Quest Regional Rehabilitation Centre on May 11, although police were not notified until May 15.

Police believe a 28-year-old resident pushed 56-year-old Gordon Longphee, who fell as a result.

He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and passed away in hospital Saturday.

“One of the people involved has been a long-term resident of the facility, well known to all the staff and the other clients and will be sadly missed,” says Ron Cooper, chair of the Quest Regional Rehabilitation Centre board.

The Quest Regional Rehabilitation Centre is a 24-bed facility that houses adults with behavioural challenges, development disabilities and chronic mental illness.

CTV News has learned the other resident is no longer living at the facility.

The RCMP's major crimes unit and Nova Scotia Community Services Department are investigating the incident.

Brenda Hardiman of Advocating Parents of Nova Scotia is calling on the province to shut down the Quest Regional Rehabilitation Centre, as well as other facilities like it.

Hardiman’s daughter, Nichele Benn, has a brain disorder and lives at the long-term-care home. Hardiman says she is concerned about her daughter’s safety.

“Staff are doing as much as they can with the resources that they’re provided,” acknowledges Hardiman. “There’s too many people living here for the number of staff.”

Quest is a non-profit society that receives funding from and is licensed by Community Services.

“We cannot control every variable that might happen on a daily basis but we certainly try to be one step ahead of those variables,” says Laura Arthurs, the facility’s executive director.

Arthurs says staff is highly trained and there is usually one staff member to every three residents.

But the head of the Nova Scotia Association of Community Living says institutions are no place for persons with intellectual disabilities.

“Congregated living is not the way to go,” says Jean Coleman. “People are vulnerable and harm inevitably happens, whether it’s to individuals who are living there or staff.”

Many community-living advocates believe the provincial government is moving in the right direction to address the issue, but say they would like to see change happen faster.

“There’s a timeline there to end referrals to institutions in the spring 2015 and perhaps that deadline needs to be moved up and we need to stop sending referrals now,” says Cindy Carruthers of People First Nova Scotia.

Nancy MacLellan, associate deputy minister of Community Services, says her department wants to move to a new and improved program as quickly as possible.

“We also know we want to get it right and we want to make sure we’re taking the needs of individuals into account,” says MacLellan.

As for potential charges, police say it is too early to determine whether they will be laid in the case. They say there are many things to consider, including intent, before laying charges.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster