Brief personal-care home stay a mouse-infested, ‘filthy’ nightmare

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This article was published 20/01/2024 (595 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Her elderly mother has needed long-term care for about a year, but less than 24 hours after taking the first personal-care home bed available, Jane Pogson took her home because of the awful conditions inside the facility, including a mouse infestation.

Now, the Winnipegger is raising questions about whether aging in place is realistic for most people, and whether Manitoba has learned any lessons from the pandemic about caring for seniors.

“My mom’s world now is in her tilt wheelchair, but she’s with my dad. And if she falls, there won’t be mice running all over her,” Pogson told the Free Press.

“And I just think to myself, all of these people have been contributing members of society. They’ve given to their community, and this is how they end up.

“It just — you have no words for that.”

It’s been six months since long-term care in Manitoba came under more scrutiny thanks to an auditor general’s report that found the provincial Protection for Persons in Care office wasn’t properly investigating abuse claims, including cases where seniors were subjected to physical violence or sexually assaulted inside personal-care homes.

The Kinew government has promised to establish an independent seniors’ advocate office.

But for families, the burden can feel insurmountable. Pogson described it as being “trapped.”

Her mother, Ann Ledwich, is 90 and has advanced dementia. She was assessed (panelled) for a personal-care home bed early last year, and still faces a four-or-five month wait to get into her first choice, Meadow Wood Manor in St. Vital.

But Ledwich fell and fractured her hip in November. She was hospitalized and, because she was unable to walk, her family felt it would be too risky for her to return home.

Because Ledwich was going into a care home directly from hospital, she was required to take the first appropriate bed available until one opened up at Meadow Wood Manor. She moved into Extendicare Tuxedo Villa on Dec. 12.

The family hoped she would get regular physiotherapy there that might help her regain her strength, allowing her to return home.

Pogson said her mother’s bed didn’t have a safety rail or alarm for an immobile person, and staff weren’t informed about the fall risk. There was no space for her to eat in the dining room, and Pogson spotted mice running in the halls.

“I reported it to the nurse at the desk and she just laughed. She said, ‘Oh yeah, you’ll get used to them. They’ll become your friends.’”

She said she didn’t receive a tour of the facility but said it appeared “filthy.” She was informed the home doesn’t have a full-time physiotherapist, but an occupational therapist comes in on a regular basis.

The family hired a private care worker to stay with Ledwich overnight, but Pogson decided before the night was over that her mother couldn’t stay there.

Pogson arranged transportation to take her mother back to the house she shared with her 91-year-old husband, Rodney, and then Pogson wrote to the premier, calling for action to improve long-term care in Manitoba.

“My mum was a good mother, Manitoba Harvest volunteer, Hospice volunteer, Amnesty International activist. She contributed to her community and this is her reward,” Pogson wrote.

In an interview, she said her father is spending a staggering amount — roughly $400,000 a year — on private home-care services to help him and his wife stay where they are.

Ledwich has someone looking after her 24-7, and her husband gets about 11 hours of care each day.

“As a family, we had promised him that we would do as much as we could to make that work, because money doesn’t always make that work — you have to have a supportive family,” she said.

“But when people talk about aging in place, it’s impossible. It’s impossible for most people.”

Extendicare acknowledged the mouse problem at Tuxedo Villa, saying it is working with pest control and public health officials. The 213-bed Corydon Avenue facility had to have its foundation reinforced because the ground was shifting under the building, and mice got in through openings outside during the construction work, an Extendicare spokesperson wrote in an email.

“We have put in place pest control measures throughout the home in light of the situation, including a pest control team that is on-site in the home on a weekly basis. We are working with Public Health and following their directions, and in recent weeks the situation has been improving. We will continue to share updates with our community until the situation is addressed,” the spokesperson said.

“We recognize the situation is upsetting to our residents and their families, and we are doing everything in our power to remediate it.”

The most recent standards review of Tuxedo Villa, completed after a July 2020 visit by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, was positive overall. The review noted flooring was splitting near the walls and that plans to fix it had been delayed during the pandemic. There were no concerns noted about pest control, resident safety or well-being. After interviewing four residents and five family members, reviewers noted the facility appeared to be responsive to any concerns or complaints.

Extendicare, an Ontario-based for-profit long-term care provider, appointed new leadership in its Manitoba personal-care homes. The company also has a whistleblower program in place, operated by an independent third party, that can be accessed by residents, their families and staff.

“All concerns submitted remain anonymous, and we encourage anyone connected to our homes to report anything they see or hear that is cause for concern. Every inquiry is reviewed and investigated to ensure any issue is quickly addressed,” the spokeswoman stated.

In a statement, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the protection, health and safety of Manitoba seniors is a “top priority” for the provincial government.

“The development of a seniors’ advocate office is long overdue, and we’re committed to getting it done. An independent seniors’ advocate office will offer leadership and expertise on quality of care in long-term care homes and the provision of services for Manitoba seniors across the province,” the minister stated.

In July, as a result of the Auditor General of Manitoba’s findings, the previous government said the Protection for Persons in Care Office would be disbanded and replaced over the next 18 to 24 months with an independent investigation office that would report directly to the legislative assembly.

The health minister’s office said the PPCO continues to operate while the judicial review is in place. There is currently a backlog of 24 investigations, compared with a 204-file investigation backlog in October 2022.

“Most recently, PPCO has undertaken measures that will assist in monitoring compliance with practice standard and timelines. This will enhance transparency in public reporting and ensure there are training and mentorship resources for investigators,” Asagwara’s office said in a statement.

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com