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Staffers leave nursing home residents unattended
March 9th, 2009 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
The elderly man at a Nova Scotia nursing home had fallen to the floor in his bathroom during the overnight hours of May 5-6. No one knows how long he had been lying there, but the light from the bathroom prompted his roommate to ring the call bell to have staff turn off the light.
The three staff members in charge of the 39-bed home that night had been enjoying a 7- to 15-minute smoke break when they entered the facility and heard the bell. They went to the men’s room and found the one man on the floor of the bathroom. The workers notified the Health Department. The man who fell died three days later at a hospital, though the incident report says “there is no evidence to conclude that the resident’s death was, or was not, related to the allegations of neglect,” according to The Canadian Press.
It remains in question when the man fell – whether it was before the workers went outside or while they were outside. It is also unclear whether the bell was rung while the staff was on smoke break, or if the call came only after they re-entered the building. The workers claim they were just outside the building in the courtyard and that they would have heard the bell from a nearby open window.
The Health Department report claims the bell could not be heard outdoors. The nursing home responded by issuing a memo to staff about not leaving residents unattended. The home also took disciplinary action against the employees, firing one for his role in the incident. The College of Registered Nurses held a professional misconduct investigation and issued a formal reprimand to a nurse in the unit.
A spokesman with the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly in Toronto said leaving residents unattended is very serious. “Even a 10-minute period can result in someone’s death if you have a serious situation.”
