The sadistic abuse of a Manitoba senior with severe dementia continued after a health-care aide hit the personal care home resident in the face with a transfer lift remote control..The aide then lowered the transfer lift onto the helpless senior “pressing the metal onto the victim’s body while the victim screamed.” The victim suffered facial lacerations and bruising and swelling to the abdomen and shoulders..Police were called. Assault charges were laid against the aide and a no-contact order was issued to protect whoever reported the abuse. An in-house investigator concluded it was abuse but was pressured to change the finding to “unfounded” by a senior director..“[Alleged victim] did not require acute medical or psychological care after this incident. Though this was a serious incident, there was no evidence to support that it interfered in a substantial way with the patient’s well-being nor was it reasonably likely to. As such, this incident is unfounded for abuse,” concluded the Protection for Persons in Care Office (PPCO)..Who hires these wretchedly cold-hearted people?.The PPCO is the watchdog tasked with investigating abuse and neglect in health care facilities..But it looks as though covering for cruelty and incompetence — and possibly fear of legal action — took precedence over the well-being and safety of seniors in care. This is only one example of mishandled allegations and proven cases of senior abuse — physical, sexual, and verbal — cited in Auditor General Tyson Shtykalo’s troubling investigation and damning 41-page report on PPCO..“I am deeply concerned by our findings and recognize the painful experiences the victims and families went through,” wrote Shtykalo..The report said allegations that caregivers “hit or sexually assaulted victims” were confirmed, yet the PPCO decided they were “unfounded for abuse.”.Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen swiftly responded by disbanding the PPCO this week..“To be clear, what the report revealed, specifically as it relates to abuse of elderly, is sickening and repulsive,” he told reporters. The PPCO will be replaced with an investigation office required to report to the legislature instead of a government department..The PPCO has been the responsibility of Audrey Gordon, health minister since August 2021. Where has she been?.William Burnett, former Manitoba Court of King’s Bench and Court of Appeal justice will oversee the new office. Attorney Kimberley Gilson will head a re-investigation of some of the abuse allegations with the authority to recommend criminal charges.. Cover of Report on Protection of People in CareMany elder-abuse complaints are laid. Few are investigated. .“The revelation that investigators were pressured to change the findings of their investigations by leadership at the PPCO is very, very troubling, and while the report does not indicate how pervasive these situations were over the two decades that the PPCO has been in existence, not a single one is acceptable. Not a single one,” said Goertzen..Shtykalo said allegations he investigated were “valid” and “not isolated cases.”.“My office received several calls with allegations from Manitobans describing alarming incidents where loved ones living in personal care homes were physically or verbally harmed. However, the resulting PPCO investigations concluded there was no abuse,” he wrote..In another case, the wound of a personal care home resident kicked — kicked! — in the shin by a health-care aide continued to bleed after it was cleaned. Police were contacted..No, concluded the PPCO, it wasn’t abuse because the wound healed, and the victim didn’t remember the attack..“The act of kicking did not interfere in a serious or substantial way with the alleged victim’s well-being,” said the PPCO..Shtykalo’s report revealed some investigations into complaints weren’t launched for more than three years. A backlog of complaints goes back to 2018..Since 2016 the PPCO didn’t bother to file annual reports. And despite three reports over the past decade citing issues with the “extremely” high threshold definitions of abuse and neglect, the PPCO “did not take meaningful action to remedy the situation.”.In fact, “PPCO does not always follow procedures set out in its investigation policy manual.”.In 2020/21, the PPCO received 2,282 reports of abuse or neglect but managed to undertake only 50 investigations per year..The auditor general’s investigation into files analyzed the amount of time it took to complete an investigation from the time an allegation was received by the PPCO to when the investigation was closed..“We found that the shortest timeframe was 440 days and the longest investigation took 1,278 days (or about 3.5 years).”.The auditor general’s report selected cases to demonstrate when “vulnerable individuals were assaulted yet PPCO concluded unfounded for abuse.”.Another case involved a senior that two health-care aides held down on a bed to change from pyjamas to day clothes..It was determined they used “threatening and vulgar language while pinning down the senior..“You’re a f***ing prick.”.“You’re a f***ing bastard.”.“I am going to f***ing kill you.”.But the facility’s director of care glossed over the abuse stating: “The alleged victim is so severely cognitively impaired, that despite how traumatic the experience was, it’s unlikely to interfere ‘with his psychological integrity or well-being in a substantial way.’”.Another patient was “seriously” sexually assaulted by a care worker. The PPCO “found the victim credible” and determined the assault occurred..The conclusion?.“The investigator noted many qualities of an emotionally traumatized victim throughout the investigation and noted that the AV [alleged victim], with psychological care and support, was able to move forward from the incident remarkably well.”.“Given that the PPCO cannot establish that this incident impacted the AV in a substantial way, the investigation is unfounded for abuse.”.The auditor general made 12 recommendations to improve the investigation process and protect “vulnerable” Manitobans..But that doesn’t erase the fact that while incompetents were in charge, fragile, vulnerable seniors suffered and concerns by caring staff were silenced or overruled..Justice is crying out — no screaming out! — for attorney Gilson to crack down hard and use the authority granted her to levy criminal charges to the fullest extent of the law against those responsible for this “sickening and repulsive” perversion of care.
