Quebec seniors' minister wants answers after report reveals neglect at care home in Lvis

Quebec Seniors' MinisterMarguerite Blaissaid she was "devastated" after readinga damning report of neglect and mismanagement at theManoir Liverpool in Lvis, aseniors'home located across the river from Quebec City.

The report, created by the regional health authority forChaudire Appalaches, revealedpatients wereunderfed, infrequently changed and bathed, and given expired medication over a period of five years.

According to the report, which was made public on Friday,residents at the private facility "were subject to at least two types of mistreatment: physical and organizational."

Blais said she is awaiting an explanation from the director of theCISSS de Chaudire-Appalaches, Daniel Par, about why this neglect went unchecked.

"It's up to him to answer, it's up to him to tell us what decisions he has taken, why and what measures he has put in place," she said.

Par is temporarily away from his regular job because he is running the province's COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

In an email, a spokesperson forthe Health Ministry confirmed thatChristian Dubis aware of the report.

"We have every confidence that Mr. Par will be able to explain his decisions. The Minister of Health is clear that this report is by no means the end of this story. We will dig further, until all the questions are answered."

After reading the report, Blais sent a letter to all the headsof the regional health boardsin the province giving them until Feb. 26 tosubmit a plan to monitor the quality of care provided at facilities under their jurisdiction.

Blais saidregional health boards need to be held accountable for what goes on at private and public seniors' residences.

"I want to let them know again that they have a legal responsibilityfor the services that they give directly to the population or through resources," she said in an interview with CBC.

The owners of theManoir Liverpool have refused multiple requests for comment.

According to Radio-Canada, the owners are being forced to sellManoir Liverpool or else they will lose their certification and public contracts.

The owners also run two other private residences in the region and Blais has ordered an investigation into one of them, thePavillon Bellevue.

In a Facebook post on Saturday afternoon, thedirector of Manoir Liverpool, Nicole Robert, wrote that the incidents highlighted in the reporttook place between2014 and June2020.

She said thatsince then, a new team of managers wasbrought in and that staff had made a "180 turn."

"This investigation shined a light on elements that were corrected since June 2020," wrote Robert.

She said the new team is collaborating with the CISSSand that "all the residents, the employees and the workers from the CISSSsay there has been a significant improvement since June 2020."

See something, say something

The outbreaks of COVID-19 at seniors' residences and long-term care homes haverevealed multiple instances of neglect and mistreatment at Quebec's institutions.

Blais saidthere needs to be a shift in the way the province takes care of its elderly and disabled population.

She hopes to see Quebec review its laws on abuse and neglect and impose harsher penalties for senior's homes that don't properly care for the elderly.

But she saidmore importantly, those that work in the system need to speak up.

"People have to call out situations when it's going bad, we cannot just close our eyes, close our ears andnot takecare of these vulnerable people."