The public need a complete report of the crimes committed in nursing homes, as well in the “HOSPITALS of Ontario.”
As usual, the sensationalist media and the police of this
country are using the nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer as a scapegoat to cover up the
same crimes committed during years in hospitals in the province of Ontario.
Health centers of psychological and physical abuse especially for seniors who
are under the care and responsibility of dangerous doctors, nurses, and the
Ministry of Health.
Nurse charged with murdering eight Ontario nursing
home residents
Elizabeth Tracey
Mae Wettlaufer, 49, allegedly used drugs to end the lives of the eight
residents. The eight victims have been identified.
By Moira WelshInvestigative News reporter
WOODSTOCK, ONT—Five elderly
women and three men. All parents, grandparents, or beloved friends and
all allegedly killed in two long-term-care homes by a registered nurse
who police say acted with intent.
When the
Ontario Provincial Police announced the investigation on Tuesday, with
officers from Woodstock and London police, they gave scant details
beyond the fact that 49-year-old Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer was
charged with eight counts of first-degree murder.
Wettlaufer
gave unidentified drugs to seven residents at Caressant Care Woodstock
and one resident at Meadow Park long-term-care home in London, Ont.,
police said. The first case victim they identified was 84-year-old James
Silcox, in Woodstock, who died on Aug. 17, 2007. The last was
75-year-old Arpad Horvath, on Aug. 31, 2014. No bodies will be exhumed,
police said.
Information about the alleged
killings came to Woodstock Police on Sept. 29 and a short time later a
joint task force was created, with the OPP taking the lead. Wettlaufer
gave up her nursing licence on Sept. 30.
Wettlaufer
was arrested on Monday night. On Tuesday morning, when reporters
gathered at a Woodstock community centre for a press conference, the
former nurse made her first appearance at the downtown courthouse. She
was remanded into custody.
Duplessis Orphanage, Canada's Genecide
Two residents are alleged to have been killed in 2007, three in 2011, one in 2013 and the final two in 2014.
That
much is known. Police won’t release more details, saying additional
information is protected as evidence in the investigation.
What
is known, however, is that this case is yet another hit on Ontario’s
630 long-term-care homes, which experts say are severely underfunded and
short-staffed.
Doris Grinspun, CEO of the
Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, said, “There’s not enough
brain power. There’s not enough leg power to give residents the care
they need.”
The 77,000 residents are
coming into homes older and frailer, but, Grinspun said, their fragile
condition doesn’t mean “it’s in the hands of the health professional to
make (life and death) decisions.”
Police
wouldn’t identify the type of drugs they say the residents were given,
nor would they say whether the checks and balances for nursing-home
drugs records were followed.
Nurses are
expected to follow a code of ethics when signing off on drug
administration to residents. But, as one industry source said, it’s
difficult to find wrongdoing or errors when, for example, someone
correctly fills out paperwork but elects to withhold a drug from one
resident to double up on another. It is not known what police believe
happened in the Wettlaufer case.
Wettlaufer
is being investigated by the College of Nurses of Ontario, confirmed
Denise Riposati, communications adviser for the college, which is the
regulatory body for nurses in the province.
Records
from the college show that Wettlaufer was first registered as a nurse
in August 1995. She resigned Sept. 30 of this year and is no longer
entitled to practise as a registered nurse.
“She was always polite, so when I heard the name it was a shock,” Spina said. “It can’t be.”
He said the nursing home is known for being one of the best in Woodstock.
“I
just couldn’t believe it because this is Woodstock. It’s a small town.
Things like that happen very rarely,” he said. “It doesn’t happen here.”
In
a statement, Trevor Birtch, the mayor of Woodstock, said: “This is a
very sad moment for the city of Woodstock. Our hearts go out to the
families, and I want to assure them that the community will assist them
through this tough process.”
Charlene Puffer, who said she lives down the hall from Wettlaufer’s apartment, described her neighbour as a decent person.
Neighbour
Derek Gilbert said, “She seemed like a very normal person. She came by
and walked her dog with my dog and we talked. She seemed like a normal
everyday person.”
On
Monday night, Wettlaufer’s former employer, Caressant Care Woodstock,
sent the Star a written statement saying, “We deeply regret the
additional grief and stress this is imposing on the families involved.”
A
Caressant spokesperson, Lee Griffi, said, “We are determined to avoid
compromising the police
investigation in any way and are therefore
unable to provide any additional comment at this time.” Caressant Care
operates 15 homes with 1,250 beds in Ontario
.
On
Tuesday, Meadow Park long-term-care home in London issued a written
statement, saying it is “cooperating fully with police investigating the
actions of a former staff member who left our home’s employ some two
years ago.”
A Meadow Park spokesperson,
Julie King, also said, “Our highest priority is to continue to provide
for the health and comfort of our residents, and that remains our
focus.”
News of the alleged killings
erupted at Queen’s Park, with NDP and Conservative critics pouncing on
the government Liberals, saying homes are not properly funded to ensure
residents get good care.
Premier Kathleen
Wynne called the circumstances “extremely distressing” under questioning
from London-area New Democrat MPP Theresa Armstrong, who later told
reporters “the government had no idea this was happening. It’s not
acceptable . . . There’s obviously big, gaping holes.”
Health
Minister Eric Hoskins would not answer repeated questions on what the
standard procedures for nursing homes reporting deaths are and about
subsequent oversight by officials in his ministry.
“This
is an ongoing police investigation. I think it would be inappropriate
for me to speak in detail. We need to let that investigation unfold,”
Hoskins said as he was swarmed by journalists after the Legislature’s
daily question period.
“I know you have a
lot of questions. Ontarians have a lot of questions . . . There will be
time to answer those questions,” he added. The health ministry released a
statement clarifying that when a long-term care home resident dies
“unexpectedly,” the death must be reported to ministry officials through
the existing “critical incident” reporting system. Otherwise, nursing
homes must report patient deaths to the local coroner, who has the power
to decide if an autopsy is warranted.
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