Two Leacock Care Centre employees were allegedly fired in response to a staffing shortage that left a resident sitting in his own waste for over seven hours.
Dav Langstroth, 69, suffers from incontinence and no longer can use his lower body. During the evening of May 22 and into the morning of May 23, he was neglected from receiving care.
“I had a bowel movement, rang the call bell; staff came in,” he told OrilliaMatters. “The night (personal support worker) said, ‘I can’t change you because I don’t have another person to help me.’”
After Leacock Care Centre officials were made aware of the incident, Langstroth says, two employees were let go from their positions at the for-profit home. He also says he has been interviewed by an inspector from the Ministry of Long-Term Care as part of an investigation.
“I was told by the administration here that the PSW and nurse on duty from that night have been terminated,” he said. “They are saying it’s their neglect and it’s their fault, which is 100 per cent bullshit.”
He places the blame on administration and says having one nurse and one PSW on staff that night, for a three-storey building with hundreds of residents, was unacceptable.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “No one in their right mind would ever staff at that level, but it was done anyways.”
He hopes the investigation into his situation results in a complete overhaul of the long-term care staffing levels that are required.
Staff have been more responsive since the incident, Langstroth says. However, he believes firing staff will only make the overall situation worse.
“I understand they’ve hired two more people, but why fire people who are not responsible for the staffing?” he asked.
Jarlette, the company that owns the home, didn’t directly respond to questions from OrilliaMatters regarding Langstroth’s claims. However, community relations co-ordinator Trevor Sykes says a ministry investigation into a complaint by a resident is ongoing.
“We do not have new information to share,” he said. “We are not able to comment on the personal employment situation of our team members.”
Once the investigation has been completed and the results are shared with Jarlette, Sykes says, the company will reach out to staff members, residents, and their family members.
Jake Roseman, issues manager and press secretary for Paul Calandra, minister of long-term care, declined to provide an update on the investigation.
— With files from Greg McGrath-Goudie
