St. Jacobs retirement home ordered to close amid allegations of abuse
Posted Feb 25, 2020 10:55:00 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Village Manor in St. Jacobs doesn't look like your typical retirement home, being a large Victorian manor that houses just 17 residents.
It's not just looks that make it atypical, either: The home is facing an order by the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) to close.
“The order was issued because the RHRA determined the licensee no longer demonstrates that they are competent to operate the home as per the rules set out in the Retirement Homes Act and regulations,” said Phil Norris, manager of communications for the RHRA in a statement. “The RHRA will continue to closely monitor the home to ensure compliance with the order. The RHRA's primary concern is the safety and well-being of retirement home residents and will not hesitate to take the appropriate action to protect them from harm or risk or harm.'
This comes after months of inspections and reports by the authority which are all available online, some of which have disturbing allegations by inspectors.
One report from May 23, 2019 accuses the manager responsible for all operations as being verbally and emotionally abusive to a resident, providing false or misleading information to inspectors, and failing to implement directives of their behaviour management strategies for a resident who attempted suicide.
The report also goes on to lay out allegations related to the second building, the Carpenter House.
In that same report, the RHRA alleges that the manager of the Carpenter House “drilled screws in the frames of the home's exterior doors in an effort to contain a resident who had exit seeking and wandering behaviours,” and that residents would be unable to open doors in an emergency.
They also say that same manager physically blocked access to the home to personal support workers (PSWs) who were there to care for residents, and tried to restrict the number of external care providers who were allowed to enter the home.
The allegations continue in a report from June 17, 2019 saying that the manager of the home spoke to an agency PSW in a way that caused her to fear for her safety and leave.
On October 2, 2019, a report accused the home of failing to protect a resident from financial abuse, alleging that “the Licensee requested and borrowed money from a resident on numerous occasions over of a period of time.”
There are further allegations contained in the public reports, some of which are not listed here.
The Order to revoke is being appealed by the home's operators and owners, Debbie and Wesley Moore.
“It is it is very unfortunate that the RHRA has made an Order to revoke our License without conducting a thorough investigation,” they said in a statement. “Nobody in our Home has ever been abused. We are dedicated to operating our Home in a manner that allows the Residents to live with dignity and respect, in privacy and autonomy, in security, safety and comfort. We are committed to going far beyond what is required under the Act to help our Residents. The revocation Order is in the process of being appealed to a Tribunal, who will hear and consider all of the relevant facts. We are of the view that there are individuals who have powers and duties conferred upon them by the Retirement Homes Act who have not been acting in good faith. We are not prepared to comment further as this matter is before the Appeals Tribunal.”
While the Order of revocation would have taken effect on June 1 of this year, the appeal has stayed the Order, allowing the home's operation until at least October 9.
