Deer Lodge ward's patient care was lacking, review finds

Basic patient care was lacking in one ward of Deer Lodge Centre, according to the results of an external review of the Winnipeg personal care home.

The review report, obtained by CBC News, was producedas a result of complaintsfrom staff and patients' families about the care provided at Lodge 6, a chronic-care wing.

"If you can actually get a good handle on what the issues are, you can then take appropriate action," said Ral Cloutier, Deer Lodge's chief operating officer.

After speaking with a number of family members and staff, the reviewers issued recommendations that called for, among other things, training all Lodge 6 staff on "abuse and neglect" of patients, as well as training nurses on patient hygiene.

"You have to teach this?" said Maureen Anderson, whose husband, Chuck, was a patient at Lodge 6 for four years.

Anderson has complained about the care her husband received at Lodge 6, saying Chuck contracted a superbug there and staff humiliated him when he had soiled himself.

In December, a staff member left Chuck Anderson alone on a toilet and he fell as a result, according to his wife. He died one month later, on Jan. 13.

"They were hurting himmentally, physically, emotionally," she said.

The external reviewers are also calling for Lodge 6 to be audited for about a year to ensure care is maintained.