Deaths of eight elderly people renews call for long-term care oversight

By Shauna Hunt and News Staff

Families with loved ones in long-term care facilities are likely rattled by the news of a Woodstock nurse accused of multiple murders.

Laura Tamblyn Watts with the Canadian Centre for Elder Law says while these kinds of allegations are rare in Ontario, we do not do enough review when elderly residents pass away.

“We expect people in nursing homes to die but we don’t do enough to inquire if the death was natural,” Tamblyn Watts told CityNews on Tuesday.

“We do know there are Coroner’s Inquests for some horrific matters but we don’t have death review teams in the way other jurisdictions do. Because they are older, society doesn’t care as much.”

On Tuesday, Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer, a registered nurse, was charged with murdering eight elderly people. Seven of the victims died at the Caressant Care facility in Woodstock. One was killed at Meadow Park in London.

All of the deaths occurred between 2007 and 2014, Woodstock police chief William Renton said, and all their families have been notified.

When it comes to long-term care home inspections, Tamblyn Watts says the province is behind where it needs to be.

“While there are requirements for inspections there are often not the resources,” she said.

When asked about drug monitoring she says there is a well-known difficulty within the system: “There’s a lot of drugs in long-term care. Pain killers like morphine are widely available. Should there be checks and balances? Absolutely. Do things get missed? Absolutely.”


Related stories:

Registered nurse charged with eight counts of first-degree murder
Who is Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer?


Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today