Halifax Regional Police say they will not be laying charges in the death of an elderly woman at a Clayton Park nursing home.
Officers responded to Evan Hall – a memory care facility located on the third floor of the Parkstone Enhanced Care nursing home – at 156 Parkland Drive before 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 5.
Police said their preliminary investigation revealed that a 74-year-old woman allegedly got into an altercation with a 91-year-old woman.
The older woman sustained serious injuries after falling to the ground during the alleged altercation.
She was taken to hospital in critical condition and passed away the following day.
Both women lived in an area reserved for people with dementia.
Police said an autopsy concluded that her death resulted from complications relating to injuries received during the alleged altercation. Her death was ruled a homicide.
However, police released a statement on Wednesday, saying that no charges would be laid in the case following consultations with the province's Public Prosecution Service.
A similar incident happened in the dementia unit of another Shannex facility in January 2011; a 92-year-old woman died at the Arborstone Enhanced Care nursing home in Halifax after being pushed by another female resident.
No charges were laid in that incident.
According to a recent investigation by CTV’s W5, an average of five homicides happen each year in Canadian care homes
