A woman walks near the Caressant Care Nursing home in Woodstock, Ontario October 25, 2016 where 7 elderly patients were allegedly murdered by Elizabeth Wettlaufer, a former nurse at the facility.GEOFF ROBINS/The Globe and Mail
An Ontario long-term care facility where a nurse is alleged to have killed seven residents has now been ordered temporarily to stop admitting new patients.
The order was issued Wednesday in a letter from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, ordering the local placement agency in southwest Ontario to stop directing more patients to the Caressant Care nursing home in Woodstock, near London, Ont.
"The ceasing of admissions has been directed based on my belief that there is a risk of harm to the health or well-being of residents in the home or persons who might be admitted as residents," said the letter, signed by Karen Simpson of the Long-Term Care Inspections Branch.
Read more: Woodstock nurse accused of killing seniors faces six new charges
Read more: Bodies exhumed in probe of Woodstock nurse charged with murder
Read more: Woodstock deaths shed light on little-noticed work of caregivers
The operators of the facility confirmed the order, saying that it stemmed from "intense inspections" they had faced from the Ministry in the last three months.
"Our home has been issued orders to improve certain practices … In addition to immediate changes being made by our staff, we have retained an independent, external consultant," said a statement released Friday by Lee Griffi, a spokesman for Caressant Care Nursing and Retirement Homes.
The home has been in the spotlight since last fall, following the arrest of a former employee, Elizabeth Wettlaufer.
The 49-year-old former nurse worked at the Caressant Care in Woodstock from 2007 to 2014.
She has since been charged with killing eight patients, seven of them elderly residents at Caressant.
Ms. Wettlaufer is also charged with the attempted murder of two other Caressant residents and aggravated assault on two more people, allegedly with insulin injections.
The letter ordering the suspension of admissions was posted on a government website listing inspection reports at nursing homes.
The letter said admissions have to be suspended starting Thursday.
The order was triggered by incidents that occurred since August, 2016, "and do not involve any issues that the police have been asked to investigate," Health and Long-Term Care Minister Eric Hoskins said in a statement.
"During recent Ministry inspections at Caressant Care Home in Woodstock, it became apparent that there were compliance issues. As a result, the Ministry ordered a cease of admission ... to ensure these unresolved issues are addressed quickly," the statement said.
The most recent inspection report for the Caressant facility stemmed from an August, 2016, visit by four Ministry inspectors.
Their 32-page report mentioned that:
- Complaints of abuse of a resident by staff weren’t properly handled.
- The home failed to report the abusive behaviour of residents toward other patients. “The home was aware of a history of physical and verbal incidents between the two identified residents and there were many repeated occurrences,” the report said.
- The home prescribed a treatment to a resident against the wishes outlined in the family’s power of attorney agreement.
- Residents who needed help with eating and drinking were served food and left to their own devices.
- The home failed to have residents who suffered from pressure ulcers and skin wounds assessed by a registered dietitian (to determine any changes to the resident’s plan of care relating to nutrition and hydration).
- Written records were not properly created and maintained.
The seven Caressant residents that Ms. Wettlaufer is alleged to have murdered are 84-year-old James Silcox, 84-year-old Moe Granat, 95-year-old Helen Matheson, 87-year-old Gladys Millard, 96-year-old Mary Zurawinski, 90-year-old Helen Young and 79-year-old Maureen Pickering.
She is also alleged to have used insulin injections to attempt to murder two other Caressant residents, 57-year-old Wayne Hedges and Michael Priddle, 63.
Furthermore, she has been charged with committing aggravated assault by injecting insulin on two sisters, Clotilde Adriano, 87, and Albina Demedeiros, 90.
Ms. Adriano, Ms. Demedeiros, Mr. Hedges and Mr. Priddle are no longer alive but police said the cause of their deaths is not attributed to Ms. Wettlaufer.
She is expected to appear by video at her next court hearing, Feb. 15.
Tu Thanh Ha