Thread by @SimplySellingMD

One year ago today, my mother died a painful death caused by Care Home negligence. Betty didn’t know Twitter but hopefully Twitter will come to know her. #JusticeForBetty
Here is her story; please share it so others won’t suffer as Betty did.

On July 10, 2021, Betty died of complications arising from #rhabdomyolysis and #heatstroke. Both instances of negligence happened in the @Fraserhealth #DrAlHoggPavilion in #WhiteRockBC. About a month before her death, Betty’s leg was severely injured, yet…

her caregivers knew nothing about any incident. In hospital, 2 weeks later, it was diagnosed that mom had been laying on the hard floor for hours, enough to cause her muscles to begin wasting, releasing a toxin that would eventually attack her kidneys.

Rhabdomyolysis is one of the most excruciatingly painful ways to die. It is a muscle wasting disease that literally causes the body to rot away. Betty’s caregivers failed to report a critical incident that would ultimately cause her premature death.

Reporting critical incidents in a patient’s file is required by law, yet her caregivers failed to do so. They also failed to get her the medical attention they knew she needed.

On June 26, I visited mom to find her with severe heatstroke. It was Day 1 of…

the first #heatdome of 2021. The BC Govt issued a warning the day prior to ensure that all vulnerable people were looked out for. Betty’s Care Home management failed to heed that warning. They failed to secure the doors and keep their residents safe.

The Dr Al Hogg Pavilion, a Fraser Health LTC in White Rock, failed to monitor their resident’s safety. They have no idea how long mom was in the direct sun; possibly for up to 2 hours. When I arrived it was clear she was suffering severe heatstroke. Red as…

a beet and deleterious, Betty was crying in pain. I found her, soaking wet and when I asked how long she’d been outside, they lied. “She was by a window,” they said. A resident confided that she saw mom outside, and asked the staff to get her. After soaking…

Betty in cold water, they pushed her wheelchair up to a fan and left her there. I asked when paramedics were due to arrive, and they said,”Oh, would you like us to call an ambulance?”
Betty would be admitted to emergency, then transferred to a ward where she would…

take her last breaths. Had I not asked for paramedics to be called, mom would have died in her LTC bed without the necessary medical interventions needed to keep her comfortable and as pain-free as possible. We never would have learned the truth of the real cause of death.

The @WhiteRockRCMP reluctantly investigated Criminal Negligence. They failed to interview key witnesses. They told me from the start it would be unlikely that they would charge a Public Entity. There was evidence of negligence causing death, but no charges were presented to Crown

I asked to see their case and was told #VictimServices would contact me. They’ve yet to do so.

I wrote @jjhorgan @mikefarnworthbc @adriandix @mableelmore, the NDP MLAs in power & @shirleybond, the opposition critic for health and seniors. They all ignored me.

A spokesperson for the ruling party eventually wrote back. He acknowledged that I had done everything correctly in advocating for my mother and that the system failed. He offered condolences and gave me a list of legal advice agencies to call. In a nutshell…

The official response from the BC Govt was, “So, @Fraserhealth killed your mother and the RCMP won’t charge anyone? Who cares? Sue us.”

One year later, I have no answers and not one person has been held accountable.

Through Twitter, I learned about @InTheirNameBC

In BC, and across Canada, there are laws that assign little to no value for the very young, very old and the disabled. Govt #RiskManagers love these laws because they keep expenses down. #HealthAuthorities take advantage of them in every decision they make.

#WrongfulDeath laws give the green light to healthcare providers, especially LTC, to #neglect #abuse and cause the premature deaths of their vulnerable patients. They know they will never be held accountable. The RCMP proved this when they refused to charge @Fraserhealth

The horrific stories we heard about LTC in Canada when the pandemic ravaged Care Homes were nothing new to LTC advocates who’ve witnessed their loved ones suffer needlessly at the hand of the people entrusted to provide care. Govts promised sweeping changes, yet…

nothing changed. Residents are still being neglected and abused. Care Home management are still making up their own rules and denying access for residents to their families and visitors. There is no extra staffing. There are no improvements.

Until Wrongful Death laws are changed, nothing in LTC will ever change. Trusting that MLAs and Health Authorities will do the right thing is futile, because #NoOneCares
Demand that your MLA takes action to resolve this. Vote accordingly.

Please, help me get #JusticeForBetty
Like and retweet this so others will see the truth about Long Term Care in Canada.

Please visit @InTheirNameBC and sign their petition to have Wrongful Death laws changed.

We owe it to our beloved seniors and we owe it to our future selves

#wrongfuldeath #ltc #seniorsmatter #stopthesenicide @JustinTrudeau @Dave_Eby @cbcmarketplace @CTVW5 @globalnews @CBCTheNational