A report by the Canadian Armed Forces has identified a myriad of issues at five Ontario long-term care homes experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, including “aggressive behaviour” by staff, poor infection control practices and numerous instances of patient neglect.
Troops were sent to the facilities in April to provide logistical support as staff worked to contain deadly outbreaks of the virus.
Military officials, however, soon became aware of a number of issues at the facilities
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I can't say I am surprised
Some of the issues pertained to poor infection control practices and the misuse of Personal Protective Equipment while others involved the apparent neglect of residents and, in some cases, their abusive treatment by staff.
At Eatonville Care Centre in Etobicoke, the military said that it reported numerous instances of aggressive behaviour to management, including “degrading or inappropriate comments” by staff and the “aggressive changing of incontinence products” with staff refusing “to stop or slow when residents complained of pain.”
“We knew these homes were having serious problems and needed help. But, until yesterday morning, we didn't know the full extent of what these homes, what these residents were dealing with,” Premier Doug Ford said at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. “The reports they provided us were heartbreaking, they were horrific, it's shocking that this can happen here in Canada.”
‘Little to no disinfection’ amid pandemic
At Hawthorne Place, he said that “little to no disinfection” had been conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic and that when troops arrived they noted “significant fecal contamination in numerous patient rooms” as well as an infestation of ants and cockroaches.
He said that nurses and personal support workers were also observed not changing their personal protective equipment for several hours as they moved between patient rooms, potentially hastening the spread of the virus.
At Altamount Care Community in Scarborough, Mialkowski said that residents did not typically receive three meals a day due to staffing issues and often faced a “significant delay” in getting food.
He said that at least 15 residents also developed significant pressure ulcers as a result of “prolonged bed rest.”
“At time of arrival many of the residents had been bed bound for several weeks,” he said. “There was no evidence of residents being moved to wheelchair for parts of day, repositioned in bed or washed properly.”
