A Clairemont Healthcare & Wellness Centre resident who was totally dependent on staff for her care was dropped off by taxi to her trailer without a discharge plan, putting her life at risk.
The resident was admitted to the facility in April 2014, with a small companion dog. In September 2014, during the facility’s annual recertification survey, the Administrator told a staff member to hide the dog outside, and tell the resident she could no longer have the dog in the facility.
The resident was then discharged that same day, September 9, 2014. At the time of discharge, she could not walk, get out of bed, or use the toilet. She had a urinary catheter that she could not change. She had diabetes, but did not have her medications or a means to test her blood sugar levels. She did not even have a phone to call for help in an emergency. The facility social worker called a taxi to pick up the resident, followed the taxi to the resident’s trailer, and then returned to the facility to call APS about the resident’s unsafe situation.
One of the resident’s neighbors called the police, who arrived four hours later to find her in the trailer, dirty and without food. She was admitted to the ER that night, with two pressure ulcers and a clogged catheter, smelling of urine and feces.