After the pandemic, coroner’s inquests and promises to never let seniors down again, they are still struggling to obtain quality care in certain residential centers in the province. In a recent report obtained by La Presse under the access to information law, the complaints commissioner of the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal draws up devastating findings about the CHSLD Robert-Cliche and even mentions “mistreatment”.

“According to our investigation, a series of services not provided by various job titles or non-compliance with certain policies affect the rights of users and lead to systemic mistreatment; in that it is not due to just one employee, but several who, due to inappropriate acts, cause harm and distress to a vulnerable person,” we can read in the report by Commissioner Alexandrine Côté , dated last January.

Hélène de Guise*, whose mother died last February at the CHSLD Robert-Cliche (see following text), deplores the fact that despite “all the measures” adopted by the government to ensure quality care for seniors, we have “reached this point.” “Talking about organizational mistreatment! Continuous improvement, at the present time, one might wonder what that means,” she laments.

More than 38 families and 70 employees were met by the complaints commissioner in November 2023. Nearly half of the families (45%) reported several problematic situations to the CHSLD Robert-Cliche. Among other things, that workers did not answer residents’ bells. “They are sitting across the hall on their cell phones and ignoring us,” the report’s findings read.

Criticisms are also made about the quality of care. It has been reported that workers do not “know the residents and do not know why the medication is given” or that others interact little and “forget the person in front of them when performing a task.” By interviewing employees and consulting various documentation, the complaints commissioner also noted that beneficiary attendants “refuse to do tasks provided for in the work plan” and that the recommendations of professionals “are not followed.” “Some employees are unaware of the standards of care to be met and do not validate them,” the report reads.

Brigitte Brabant, director of long-term care accommodation at the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, explains that certain improvement measures were implemented as of May 2023 at the CHSLD Robert-Cliche at the following complaints. A new management team has notably been put in place. Meetings with families were held. Employees have also been disciplined or fired.

These numerous changes have “increased the satisfaction of families” as well as many employees, noted the complaints commissioner. But in November 2023, Ms. Brabant still decided to make a report herself to the complaints commissioner for “a situation of potential mistreatment” linked to the work climate at CHSLD Robert-Cliche. It was this report, made under the Act to combat elder abuse, which led to the report obtained by La Presse.

When asked why she turned to the Complaints Commissioner to redress the situation at CHSLD Robert-Cliche rather than acting directly, Ms. Brabant said she wanted to use the Commissioner’s investigative power to “go further […] to confirm the facts and have the levers to act”.

In her report, the complaints commissioner states that her investigation of families and employees of the CHSLD Robert-Cliche allowed “to confirm situations of lower quality, infringed rights and sometimes mistreatment.” Thirteen recommendations were made, including the implementation of tools for “monitoring and monitoring the quality of care.”

When asked if the commissioner did indeed conclude that there was mistreatment at the CHSLD Robert-Cliche, Ms. Brabant replied: “The commissioner did not conclude that there was direct individual mistreatment. But we had things to improve in terms of operation. »

Ms. Brabant explains that she adopted an “action plan”. Devices to keep meals hot have been purchased. Training was given.

According to Brabant, communication with families has also “improved a lot.”

Ms. de Guise doubts that the action plan will lead to lasting changes. “Several of the measures consist of ‘conducting audits’ or holding ‘monitoring’ of certain practices, she says. These mechanisms were there before and they did not prevent the deterioration of care… Why would it be different this time? »