Report on Tragedy in Herron
Long-Term Care Home in Dorval, Quebec
An Untenable Status Quo
- Pierre Soublière -
The
"Investigative report on the events in the
context of the COVID-19
pandemic in the Herron long -term care home" was
mandated by the Quebec
government following the deaths, between March
28 and April 10, of 31
seniors, residents of the Herron long-term care
home. The author of the
report goes back to 2017 to establish what
factors in the course of these years could have
led to such a tragedy.
Here are some of the highlights of the report
which was made
public on September 23.
Various organizations had observed and noted a
number of major
problems as of 2017 in the care given at the
Herron home. Among the organizations:
the Quebec Certification Board, the Ministry of
Health and Social
Services, the Public Protector, the Quebec Order
of Assistant Nurses,
and the Quebec Order of Nurses. What were the
main concerns
raised by all of them? They were:
- inadequate infection control measures;
- high staff/resident ratio;
- high staff turnover, estimated at more than
20 per cent annually;
- inadequate staff training regarding
psychological and behavioural symptoms of
dementia.
The author of the report observes that, like
many long-term care
homes in Quebec, the Herron private home
operated in a permanent state
of shortage of personnel. He states: "This staff
shortage meant many cases
of absenteeism, of high nurse/resident ratios.
Such situations led to
extra workload for the staff in the home,
exhaustion and
departures."
At the organizational level, at the time of the
pandemic outbreak,
there was a lack of technical supplies such as
linen, incontinence
pads and suitable basic medical equipment such
as blood pressure
monitoring devices and thermometers.
On April 8, with the emergency intervention led
by the University Integrated Centre of
Health and Social Services of the
West Island of Montreal (CIUSSS ODIM), here are
some of the numerous aspects of the
care provided:
- sufficient personal protective equipment;
- the presence of specialized physicians in
geriatrics and internal medicine;
- a team of pharmacists to ensure the safe
handling of medications;
- the expertise of the CIUSSS ODIM team in
hygiene and cleanliness, in particular for
proper disinfection procedures;
- a team of professionals to treat malnutrition
and dehydration among residents;
- work with the food service to ensure proper
food texture, temperature and quality;
- testing of all residents for the
coronavirus.
 One
thing that definitely stands out in light of the
April 8 emergency
intervention is that the level of care in the
Herron home was totally
inadequate, long before the pandemic. With
regards to this, the
author states: "Can private promoters succeed in
meeting the overall
needs required by people in conditions of a
severe loss of autonomy? Do
the workers' conditions contribute to stable,
ongoing and quality
care? The experience of the past three years at
the Herron home
suggests that the answer is no. In this context,
is the status quo for
this type of resource in 2020 still possible?"
In its statement upon publishing the report,
the Quebec government
states that it will "better take care of our
seniors
and our most vulnerable elderly communities in
Quebec."
As long as the Quebec government refuses to
increase investments in
health, including in the workers who provide the
care who are demanding
conditions which will allow them to care for and
protect the health of
all to the best of their ability, the situation
will not change.
This article was published in
Number 72 - October 22, 2020
Article Link:
Report on Tragedy in Herron
Long-Term Care Home in Dorval, Quebec: An Untenable Status Quo - Pierre Soublière
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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