TORONTO — A Newmarket, Ont. family is looking for answers after their mother was found with severe bruising to her upper and lower body.
Since July 2015, 75-year-old Carol Hughes has been living at Mackenzie Place, a long-term care facility run by Revera Inc. The family said she suffers from dementia.
On the night of Nov. 17, Mackenzie Place called Carol’s daughter-in-law, Melodie Hughes, to tell her they were taking Carol to the hospital because she was suffering chest pains.
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Melodie and her husband rushed to the hospital concerned Carol had suffered a heart attack. But what they discovered was far worse.
In a detailed interview with Global News, Melodie recounts what happened that night and the following days.
“They wanted her to get an X-ray done, so that is when I took her into the bathroom to gown her up and that is when I saw the bruises. I found she had a very large bruise on her shoulder and very large bruising on her chest. I called my husband into the bathroom, I was in shock. We were called to the hospital because of chest pains. Nobody had alerted us to the bruising.”
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After finishing up at the hospital, Melodie and her husband took Carol back to the nursing home. Melodie says she asked the nursing staff about the bruising and if her mother-in-law had a fall.
She said the staff had no knowledge of a fall and there was no documentation to indicate Carol had fallen that night.
The next day, Melodie met with the executive director of the long-term care facility to discuss her concerns.
Melodie said that after she informed Mackenzie Place about the bruising, the nursing staff performed a head-to-toe assessment of Carol, as required by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care when a patient is allegedly injured.
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After the assessment, Melodie said she and her family were even more shocked.
“They alerted us there was more bruising”, Melodie said, adding severe bruising to Carol’s stomach and vaginal area was discovered.
The family said they were now even more concerned for their mother and Melodie called the police over fears something horrific had happened to her.
York Regional police are continuing their investigation as they await results from forensic investigators.
Melodie said that due to the severe amount of pain from all the bruising, her mother-in-law had to be hospitalized for 13 days. She added that the vaginal bleeding her mother-in-law experienced lasted for eight days.
Mackenzie Place said they had no knowledge of the bruising. They conducted their own investigation after being immediately informed and questioned by the Hughes family.
In a three-page letter outlined to the Hughes family, the long-term care facility provided a full recount of the events of Nov. 17.
They concluded that Carol sustained the bruises due to a fall from getting out of the bathtub. Yet there were no witness accounts to support that theory.
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“We extend our sincere apologies to all involved in this difficult situation and are cooperating with all investigations,” Revera Inc. said in a statement to Global News.
“To respect client confidentiality, and because there is an ongoing investigation with York Regional Police, we are unable to disclose the specifics of this matter.”
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care conducted an investigation related to concerns raised by the family.
The ministry completed their review and issued three written notices to the home regarding late reporting and assessments. There were no findings related to abuse and the ministry said it would “continue to support all investigations.”
But the Hughes family say they want answers.
“They basically told us they do not know what happened to her. They suspect it was a fall,” Melodie said.
“The doctors at our hospital told my husband and I and our family that there is just no supporting documentation to say that this was a fall.”
The family is launching a lawsuit against Revera Inc. and Mackenzie Place.
“Mrs. Hughes and her family will be looking to Revera for payment of damages for Mrs. Hughes’ pain and suffering, out of pocket treatment costs and any extra care costs incurred as a result of her injuries,” the family’s lawyer, Michelle Arzaga, told Global News in an email.
“The family’s position is that Revera had a duty to provide a reasonably safe environment for Mrs. Hughes. Revera failed in that obligation (both contractually and at law) which is why she is looking to Revera for payment of her damages.”
Melodie said the trauma from the alleged incident “put her in a state of delirium where she couldn’t talk for several days.”
“Prior to this happening my mother was fairly independent. She would get up in the morning and make her bed and dress herself several times a day,” she said.
“She would walk freely to the dining room. She never needed assistance in feeding. So the trauma from this just turned her info somebody else.”
The lawsuit is expected to be launched on Dec. 21.
“Somebody has to be accountable and in some form I need to see justice for my mom,” Melodie said. “And for the several other elderly that have gone through something like this, that don’t have a voice.”
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