Sinclair at ‘high risk’: home-care coordinator

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/08/2013 (4611 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brian Sinclair was deemed to be at “very high risk” if his home care couldn’t be provided.

Alexandra Komenda, a home care coordinator at the Health Sciences Centre, testified today at an inquest looking into Sinclair’s death that the usual backup plan wasn’t available to the 45-year-old.

“I felt Brian was very high risk because he didn’t have a strong support structure as the majority of his care came from home care,” she said.

Komenda said there were no relatives available to care for Sinclair if home care wasn’t available so it was up to the public trustee’s office – which was responsible for Sinclair’s affairs – to come up with a back up plan in coordination with home care.

Komenda said Sinclair was hospitalized at HSC six months before his death for a blocked urinary catheter and infection.

She said while he was in hospital he shoved a therapist and yelled at nurses.

The driver of the cab who took Brian Sinclair to the Health Sciences Centre was supposed to go inside with the man.

Dana Connolly, a nurse at the Health Action Centre, testified at an inquest today that she, a clinic doctor, and an aide there all decided to send Sinclair to hospital by cab.

But Connolly said there were conditions: “I said (Sinclair) needs to go from here to HSC and ask for the driver to go right up to the triage desk.

“If the driver doesn’t agree to do that then other plans would be made.”

Connolly said she and the doctor agreed Sinclair’s catheter was blocked and with the level of treatment needed he had to go to hospital.

“He was on way to a urinary infection which if left untreated could lead to a bladder infection,” she said.

Connolly said they couldn’t change the double amputee’s catheter because the clinic lacked a lift to put Sinclair in a bed.

As well, Connolly said she “did not feel this was a safe procedure to do in our clinic.

“If it was done at the hospital there would be appropriate resources.”

Sinclair died on Sept. 21, 2008, after being found dead 34 hours after he entered the HSC’s emergency waiting room and was not treated.

Sinclair died after a blocked catheter caused a bladder infection.

Kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca