Investigation into deadly assault in New Brunswick nursing home uncovers failures
An investigation into the death of a 91-year-old man who was twice assaulted at a New Brunswick nursing home has uncovered a wide array of failures, including the home's inability to protect residents from harm.
Norman Bosse, the province's seniors advocate, issued a report Thursday that also revealed under-reporting of major incidents and a series of shortcomings in an investigation conducted by the adult protection branch of the province's Social Development Department.
"The physical agony and emotional distress (he) endured during his final days should never be an ending to anyone's story," Bosse wrote in his report, which identified the victim only as George.
"Although 91 years of age, George was admitted to the nursing home in excellent physical condition. Two months later, George left the home on a stretcher, never to walk again."
To protect the privacy of the victim and his family, the report does not reveal the identity of the victim or the nursing home, and there is no indication of when the man died.
But the report provides grim details about how George, a grandfather with dementia, had been assaulted at least twice by another male resident with dementia -- incidents captured by surveillance cameras.
In the second incident, George was shoved to the floor by the other resident, identified as Tom, resulting in a broken hip. Complications arising from that injury led to George's death shortly afterward, which the regional coroner ruled a homicide.
Bosse said the report is not about laying blame or finding fault, and he made of point of drawing attention to Tom in particular.
"We must stress that because of his dementia, this person was not in control of his actions and so cannot be blamed for the injuries he caused," Bosse wrote.
Following both assaults, George's family was wrongly told he had simply fallen, as was the case with an earlier incident that resulted in injury but was not properly reported because the surveillance tapes had been erased.
"During our investigation, we also discovered that, although no staff witnessed the first incident, George told the employee who discovered him on the floor, with Tom standing in close proximity, that 'he pushed me to the ground,"' the report says.
Following George's death, the Social Development Department conducted an investigation that concluded there was no merit to allegations of neglect and abuse.
"What is troubling, however, is that the adult protection social worker only examined the final assault on George and did not factor in any of the other concerning incidents between his attacker and other residents," the report says, noting that Tom had already been involved in nine other incidents with other residents.
"Moreover, the only people at the nursing home interviewed during that investigation were two members of the senior management team."
Bosse concluded that the investigation had failed to review all of the relevant information.
As well, he found that staff at the home knew about the assaults, but management didn't respond in a timely manner. "Many employees interviewed felt that their concerns and suggestions to management fell on deaf ears," Bosse wrote.
"When we asked the nursing home's management why interventions were not put in place early on to protect residents from Tom's assaultive behaviour, they claimed ... staff were still getting accustomed to him."
Bosse has submitted 13 recommendations to the government, including a call for legislative changes that would give the seniors advocate the mandate to conduct geriatric death and critical injury reviews arising from reports of abuse.
The report also recommends improvements to violence-reduction training, safety practices, care standards, annual inspections and the reporting of major incidents. As well, Bosse wants adult protection investigations to be improved and data on annual inspections compiled to identify residences in non-compliance.
Social Development Minister Bruce Fitch told a news conference Thursday that he couldn't talk about specific incidents involving nursing home residents, but he was quick to argue that what happened to George, although troubling, was an isolated incident.
"I have no hesitation in stating today that we have full confidence in the commitment and ability of operators and staff to safeguard the well-being and safety of the 12,000 long-term-care residents in our province," he said, reading a statement.
"The incident described is very serious .... However, this incident is not evident of a systematic problem within our network of long-term care facilities."
Fitch said his department would review the report and consider making changes, and he confirmed that a review of adult protection policies was already underway.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2022.
-- By Michael MacDonald in Halifax
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.