The report highlights a lack of attention, communication and concessions made for “humanitarian reasons” within public care services.
Whether refusing to care for a dying man’s cat or serving meals to the elderly as if they didn’t exist, there is a sense of dehumanization seeping into the province’s public services, Quebec ombudsperson Marc-André Dowd warns in his latest report.
One example cited by Dowd involved a dying man alone in the world except for his cat. He had asked his government-provided caregivers to clean the cat’s litter box because he was no longer able to do so.
Authorities at the local CLSC refused to add the chore to the man’s care plan, which Dowd argued they ought to have done for “humanitarian reasons.”
Another example took place in the dining room of a long-term care facility (CHSLD) where Dowd, during an unannounced visit, witnessed care staff “mechanically” serve dinner. They spoke only to each other while the television payed at full volume.
That conduct flew in the face of government procedure that calls for staff serving meals to “centre their attention and communication on the residents” and “position (themselves) in a manner to facilitate visual contact.”
Dowd argues that the lack of attention and communication he witnessed at the CHSLD is an example of the dehumanization of care and services and indicates “a distressing loss of meaning” for the centre, which should be a living environment.
In another example of dehumanization, a man hospitalized in a geriatric ward was restrained in his chair and placed facing a wall. While the man’s family consented to the use of the restraint, they noticed it was being used systematically rather than only when needed.
The restraints were not just physical. He was initially administered anti-psychotic medication during periods of agitation and hallucination. But the drug’s use was extended to keep him from speaking inappropriately.
The office of the Quebec ombudsperson had a record number of complaints this year; 24,867 compared with 22,053 last year. The number of complaints has been growing noticeably over the past three years.