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I am writing to seek legal assistance regarding the neglect and abuse of my mother, who had been residing at a facility. The situation has escalated over the past several weeks, and led to her being hospitalized where she recently passed away. Below is an account of some of the incidents I believe warrant legal action:
1. December 27, 2024: On this date, my mother's room was entered by two Healthcare Assistants (HCAs). One of the HCAs had previously injured my mother's leg a few days prior. My mother asked the HCA to leave, as she did not feel comfortable with her in the room, but the HCA refused to leave until my mother began yelling for her to do so. Shortly after, the same HCA returned to the room, wearing a towel on her head as a disguise. When my mother questioned the towel, both HCAs claimed it was a different person. After some time, my mother demanded that the HCA leave again. Minutes later, the HCA returned once more with the towel on her head and proceeded to stand at the foot of the bed, taunting and tormenting my mother. Both my mother and the other HCA had to scream for her to leave the room.
2. January 15, 2025: At approximately 6:30 AM, I received a distressed phone call from my mother, who stated that she needed help and that no one was assisting her. I immediately attempted to contact the facility five times without success. I was forced to contact the Executive Director at home for assistance. While watching the camera in my mother's room, I observed her repeatedly pressing the call button and calling out for help for 45 minutes with no response from the staff.
3. January 17, 2025: When I arrived to pick up my mother for an appointment around 10:00 AM, I found her in distress, being held up in a wheelchair by an HCA. She was falling out of the chair due to the lack of foot support and an undone seatbelt. The HCA explained that she had heard my mother calling for help and had come to assist, but claimed that no one responded to her call for help when she pushed the button.
4. January 18, 2025: Around 5:45 PM, I received another distressed call from my mother. I left work immediately, drove to the facility, and arrived with my spouse 15 minutes later. We waited an additional 20 minutes with my mother, and still no RN or HCA came to assist. I then walked the entire floor, trying to find help. During this time, I found all staff members eating pizza in the lunchroom, ignoring the patients. I was speaking with the Executive Director at that time and reported that no staff was present in the facility. My mother was so stressed from this situation that she was given Ativan to calm her down. Afterward, I watched the camera footage to monitor her well-being. Despite being given Ativan, she was left for over 4 hours without any check-ins from staff.
5. January 20, 2025: We had a meeting with the Executive Director, nurses, HCAs, doctors, and a social worker regarding the situation. The meeting revealed a significant level of incompetence from the staff, and one of the executives was terminated later that day likely as a direct result of an admission she made during the meeting. Throughout my mother's care, she had been complaining about a sore on her bottom, but staff continually assured me that there were no sores, blaming her pain on other causes.
That morning, around 2:30 AM, my mother was taken to the South Calgary Hospital emergency room for extremely high blood pressure. At the hospital, we learned that my mother was severely dehydrated, malnourished, and had developed bedsores due to neglect.
There is more documentation, including footage, showing that my mother was left alone for extended periods and given nothing but turkey sandwiches for several days, which further exacerbates the concern about her care.
I would greatly appreciate your legal expertise in assessing this case and guiding me through the appropriate steps. If additional details or documentation are needed, I am happy to provide everything I have, including video footage and records from the hospital visit.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to hearing from you.
07 months ago
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