POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 77 Kayla Hounsell · CBC News, posted October 25, 2017 Reports reveal 46 abuse cases over 2 years in Nova Scotia nursing homes 'For God's sake, don't abandon your loved ones in a nursing home ... be there for them, be an advocate' At least half of those cases involve abuse by a staff member. Physical and emotional abuse, or a combination of the two, were the most common type of confirmed abuse during the period examined, 2015 and 2016. On seven occasions, staff failed to provide adequate food, medical care or other necessities of life. There was one case of sexual abuse by a staff member. Reports about the incidents obtained by CBC News under the Freedom of Information Act were heavily redacted, but some of the directives from the province to the facilities in question are not. They include orders to train staff on recognizing "escalating situations," signs of abuse and the duty to report allegations. In some cases, there are orders to train staff on dealing with patients with dementia, answering call bells in a "safe and appropriate time frame," treating wounds properly and doing routine checks to be sure residents are safe. Medicating inappropriately Only one report provided enough detail to give a glimpse of understanding about the incident. At Glen Haven Manor in New Glasgow in 2015, staff inappropriately drugged residents in an attempt to control their behaviour. "Several staff reported that … medications were administered to certain residents because they were too disruptive to other residents on the unit," states the report. Staff at the facility told provincial investigators they followed the practice of administering those medications "as soon as a resident started to escalate, as the medication may not be effective once a resident's agitation increases." Some of the medications "did not have a documented intended use from the physician" for those residents. But the facility's director, Lisa Smith, said that doesn't mean alternatives don't exist at the home. "Although staff reported they were unaware of the resources - or I think they also commented that they'd never used internal programs for managing responsive behaviours - that doesn't mean that the programs or resources weren't available," she said. Smith refused to provide information about how many residents were inappropriately drugged, what kind of medication was used or how long the abuse was going on. She did say she takes allegations of abuse and neglect very seriously. The staff member involved is no longer employed by Glen Haven Manor. Staff at Glen Haven Manor in New Glasgow drugged patients inappropriately, according to reports filed by the Health Department. (Google Street View) Staff said they were unaware of resources available to deal with challenging behaviours, the documents state. A CBC News investigation has found that there were 46 confirmed cases of abuse at Nova Scotia nursing homes over a two-year period. (CBC) Residents at long-term care facilities in Nova Scotia were physically, emotionally or sexually abused or not provided adequate care in at least 46 confirmed cases over a two-year period, a CBC News investigation has learned. continued
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