Military releases disturbing report on alleged abuse in Brampton long-term care home

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Published May 26, 2020 at 7:34 pm

Last month, Ontario Premier Doug Ford sought out military assistance for five long-term care homes in the province with COVID-19 outbreaks.

Last month, Ontario Premier Doug Ford sought out military assistance for five long-term care homes in the province with COVID-19 outbreaks.

Recently, a military report by the Canadian Armed Forces was released and contained disturbing allegations against the five long-term care homes.

Some allegations include placing patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 with patients who are uninfected and aggressive feeding that led to residents choking. 

In a press conference today (May 26), the government of Ontario outlined some of these concerns and discussed infection prevention, safety, staffing and level of care.

“The report from the Canadian Armed Forces on these five long-term care homes is extremely troubling,” said Ford.

“Our government will take immediate action to investigate the concerns raised by the Canadian Armed Forces to ensure the safety of our residents in these five long-term care homes and in homes across the province.”

Among the five long-term care homes mentioned in the report was Holland Christian Homes (Grace Manor) in Brampton.  

According to the report, there were concerns with staff not taking precautionary measures such as handwashing between patient interactions, wearing the same pair of gloves from one patient to another and cleaning gloves with hand sanitizer between patients.

The report also outlined a concern over staff moving from the COVID+ unit to other units without changing their contaminated personal protective equipment (PPE). 

There were also concerns over improper sterile techniques with dressing changes and aggressive repositioning of residents.

Additionally, the report stated that there were concerns with staff leaving food in the mouths of sleeping residents and that staff was not assisting residents during meals.

Along with Holland Christian Homes (Grace Manor), the military has also been assisting at Orchard Villa in Pickering, Altamont Care Community in Scarborough, Eatonville Care Centre in Etobicoke and Hawthorne Place in North York.

The Ontario government recently announced that it will be launching an independent commission into Ontario’s long-term care system beginning in September.

The government is also continuing to work with hospital partners to assist long-term care homes across Ontario with clinical, infection prevention and control and other supports. 

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