TORONTO, Ont. – A resident of a seniors home in Scarborough faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of a 72-year-old woman at the long-term care facility.
Toronto police were called to the Wexford Residence Long Term Care facility at 1860 Lawrence Ave. E., near Pharmacy Avenue, around 11:15 p.m Wednesday night.
Two female residents were assaulted, according to police.
“We look at nursing homes, hospitals and everything as a safe haven,” said Det.-Sgt. Wayne Banks. “And they are safe havens.”
“It’s unfortunate that we do have the odd incident that tarnishes this but by no means is this a reflection on this nursing home or any other nursing home.”
Police said Joycelyn Dickson is the city’s latest homicide victim. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy will be scheduled for Dickson, police said.
The other victim, a 91-year-old woman, was found with obvious signs of injuries and taken to hospital.
Peter Brooks, 72, a resident of the long-term care facility, is charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault.
Police said the accused and the two women were not related to each other.
Police did not comment on the mental state of the accused.
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If the price of things rise, minimum wage stays the same, people who do business with these homes cannot work with out paying their staff well , so goes the shortcuts, greed, want to try make profit in Canada then first look at the tax system, there the greed is by the people who want to stay at higher level of employment to make maximum, yet these are the same ones who will end up in old people’s home, ain’t life tragic and fun!!
Who says ALS was involved?
No one did Zeta.
the ratio for staff to client should be no more than 1 to 5 in nursing homes. it is so grossly unfair that the ministry of long term care imposes rules that are impossible for health care providers to achieve, due to the number of elderly each staff is caring for. the ministry of long term care SHOULD be making rules that force nursing homes to have 1 staff for 5 residents, maximum. as it stands now, many homes have ratios as high as 1 to 12 residents. i find this sickening that our most valued and vulnerable members of society are put in such sad situations. they deserve better and the health care providers also deserve better from the ministry, as they are easy to find fault with care given yet are not forthcoming with funding for improved staffing numbers.
If I remember the W5 episode, at one time the ratio was 1 for over 70 on a night shift and at no time is even close to 1 for 5. That would be utopia!
I saw the report on W5 and was shocked that seniors residences were a dumping ground for the mentally ill. Any family member of friend who has been hospitalized or is in a care facility requires and advocate. These places are terribly understaffed and supervision is lacking. We can not possibly make any assumptions that all is well.
Getting old sucks
@ Helen You totally missed what bill was saying
I’d don’t believe I did Vince. I hold no ill will and I agree completely with what he says as I know first hand about nursing homes since my father was a resident of one for almost 4 years. I was merely making a correction regarding ALS. I sincerely hope that a complete investigation into this tragedy is done and ways to correct the issues within care homes are addressed. I myself have penned numerous emails to my MP and the government. I am not by any means implying they are all terrible. My father was in a fabulous home in Burlington and most of the staff were wonderful and caring. I however strongly feel that if you cannot move into your “golden” years with a lot of money behind you, then your “golden” years can be very “black”. We will all be there one day.
My Mom is currently a resident of this nursing home. I have yet to be in to see her but I know she is safe.
When I placed her in this nursing home, I was impressed with it. One of my main issues was safety and I was confident that this home was the right place. This could have happened anywhere.
So far, the employees have handled it well. I recieved a call in the early hours telling me of the incident and that my Mom was safe in her room.
My thoughts are with all the families involved. It is truly sad.
@Bill – ALS is not a mental disorder, it is a neurological issue. People with ALS (Lou Gehrigs desease) gradually lose their ability to move. My father had ALS and became bed ridden until his lungs finally gave out. His mind however remained sharp as a knife. It is the people who have ALS that can become the victims because they cannot defend themselves. There was a resident in my fathers care facility that we had issues with. He was on the verge of dementia which IS a mental disorder. This story is a very tragic.
Helen
My apologies Helen, you are quite correct and I picked the wrong example to try to express my point.
Sounds like you have first hands knowledge of this issue and appreciate there is no easy solution.
If we could only get our government to quit wasting millions with scandals like ORNGE and all the others screw ups we would have the funds to deal with what is really important; the health and well being of our seniors.
By the way, I’m pretty close to being one!
LOL – Thanks Bill and no worries. I completely agree the entire care system for our elderly (who are not millionaires) needs to be addressed desperately.
Wow! WTF?
This is a sad and tragic event. While attacks are more common than we want to admit, a death result is rare, thank God.
A recent report on W5 exposed the violence in our senior care facilities and was an ugly scene to say the least. This problem will only get worse and demands our immediate attention.
There are no simple solutions to protect residents from those afflicted with disorders such as ALS and other mental disorders. Determining which patients pose a risk to others is very difficult and isolating them from others is a challenge.
We cared for our parents for several years while they resided in a senior residence and nursing home and I can’t emphasize how important it is for you as family to provide as much support and care as you can.
These places are grossly understaffed and your frequent presence will boost the care and attention your loved one will recieve.
Make the extra effort, the payback is priceless.