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.”

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Staffers leave nursing home residents unattended

The Canadian Health Department, which investigated 73 reports filed under the Protection of Persons in Care Act, legislation that was passed and put into practice more than a year ago, qualified 30 of those reports. No details of the types of abuse were identified, but officials said that more than half of those cases were of physical or physical and emotional abuse.

“We know the staff-patient ratio are in some cases unacceptable. There are too many patients with very high needs for the number of staff on a shift,” said Maureen MacDonald, a New Democrat member of the legislature who was quoted in the story.

Health Department director of monitoring and evaluation Donna Dill said that most of the abuse cases reported were not serious physical harm. She says most of the time staff didn’t realize they were abusing patients. “We need to work with them so they can understand what abuse is,” Dill told the news service. Only a few of the cases resulted in staff firings, she said. Most are handled through disciplinary measures and training.

The Nova Scotia Association of Health Organizations, which represents most of the area’s nursing homes, released a statement saying it is working to create abuse-free environments and is working with its members to create anti-abuse policies and procedures.

SOURCE: Nursing Home Abuse › Canada nursing home abuses linked to understaffing