Regena Cameron recalls the shock of seeing Janet’s 71-year-old cousin at a hospital in Kamloops, BC three years ago after she was admitted to what the judge called an “advanced state of neglect”.
“It was absolutely disastrous to see the situation he was in, to know how he suffered at that time,” Cameron said.  “You would not expect to see anyone like this in this country, let alone someone who is a vulnerable person.”
For 13 years before that day, Jeanette lived with a caregiver, Dawn Brush, in her home.  CTV does not use the surname of the elderly woman with special needs at the request of her family.

THE FRONT IS DECLARED GUILTY

Last year, Brush pleaded guilty to failing to provide for Jeanette’s life from January 1, 2017 to May 6, 2019, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in April.
Brush contracted with Thompson Community Services (TCS), a service whose staff visited the home to ensure proper care, including the days before Jeanette went to the hospital.
The judge’s decision noted that a TCS director and an employee of the case were present at the house on May 2, 2019. The director noted that the elderly man looked thin, but was covered with a blanket and lid.  He thought that Jeanette’s bathroom and bedroom looked clean and noticed that the house smelled of urine, something that the clerk noticed.
In addition, medical records showing Brush’s initials showed that Jeanette was taking her medication daily.  Supreme Court Justice Sheri Ann Donegan said in her ruling that Brush admitted that she did not fulfill any of the elderly woman’s prescriptions after July 2017 and did not go to the doctor for more than two years.

ALMOST UNIQUE NEGLIGENCE

Judge Donegan said Jeanette would have died of malnutrition without intervention,
and was admitted to the hospital weighing only 72 kg.  At the time, she smelled of urine, with tangled hair, overgrown nails, a pressure sore on her right hip and an open sore on her temple that needed a skin graft to repair.
This intervention came after Jeanette’s long-time doctor asked Brush to make an appointment with her.  When the senior arrived at his office on May 6, 2019, he immediately noticed that he had lost muscle mass to a point “almost to the bone” and recommended that she be taken to the hospital.

HOME CONDITION

Police who later searched the house where he lived reported a strong smell of urine throughout the house, as well as messy and dirty rooms, some full of garbage bags and boxes.
“The bedroom she (Jeanette) occupied eight days earlier was messy, with rubbish scattered everywhere,” wrote Justice Donegan.  “Some of the rubbish on the floor contained used sanitary napkins.”
Judge Donegan added that the “bad smell” inside the house was so terrible that one of the officers had to go out at least twice to avoid vomiting.  She also referred to the testimony of an officer who was forced to abandon the search in a stack of boxes when mouse feces “rained” on her head.  Another area of ​​the house was so full of rubbish and other objects that no one could pass.
He found that the Crown had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the condition of the house when Jeanette left was “similar or comparable” to how it was found during the police investigation.
“In short, the house was unhealthy, untidy and not a suitable environment to provide Jeanette with proper care,” wrote Justice Donegan, who also disagreed with the TCS director’s remark that the elderly woman seemed weak and described her instead. as “skeletal” in the photos taken at the hospital.  “She did not remove the blanket that covered her emaciated body, nor the cap that covered her scalp and her tangled hair and the wound on her temple.”

THE FAMILY WANTS ANSWERS

Cameron and her family are struggling to figure out how this could happen when there is supposed to be a surveillance system in place to provide protection to those who care for them.
“How could you get into that house and not see the catastrophic situation it was in?”  asked.  “How could anyone from this agency who is responsible to go and visit in two years have not noticed something serious wrong in this situation.”
Mr Cameron said so far no one was able to send in the perfect solution, which is not strange.
“How could they have missed so much?”  he said.  “I think our fear is that out there in the community, in this province, other people could go through the same thing, and that would be tragic.”
Cameron said they were also watching the trial of Astrid Dahl in New Westminster, a caregiver accused of killing Florence Girard, a woman with Down syndrome who was in her care.
A verdict in this case is expected next month.

WE TALK TO AVOID MORE TROUBLE

Cameron said her family wanted to talk about Jeanette’s case in hopes of helping others avoid the kind of pain she experienced.
“There is something in the system that is failing,” he said.  “What it is and how we can fix it.”
Thompson Community Services CEO Kristine DeMonte said no one was available for interview but in an email to CTV, she said their service was also audited internally by Community Living BC, the crown company that contracts with the TCS.
“We have informed our demand for medicines and visits to doctors,” he said.  “We are now requesting direct communication from the source, to confirm that visits are made on a regular basis.”
DeMonte said a “vulnerability assessment tool” was also developed to help identify safeguards that may be required.
“We have brought together all the Home Share managers from across the province,” he said.
He also confirmed that the director and employee of the case who last visited Jeanette at Brush’s house “remain employed at TCS and are employees in good condition”.

PROVINCE SAYS CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE

Social Development Minister Nicholas Simmons, whose ministry oversees CLBC, told CTV the case was “worrying”.
“What has happened since then is that the service outsourced to Community Living BC, and Community Living BC itself, have changed the standards of monitoring,” he said.  “Some of the changes include more regular visits with people living in home-sharing arrangements, four a year.  Medical appointments are documented annually and the date is stamped by doctors. “
The ministry said TCS first increased the frequency of visits and required confirmation of doctor visits in 2020.
Simons added that CLBC has also added more quality assurance analysts to oversee the placement of individuals in home equity arrangements.
“When we hear about issues like this, we do the best we can to make sure we learn what we can from situations,” he said.  “Many steps have been taken to ensure that such circumstances do not happen again.”

‘A FULL, HAPPY LIFE’

Jeanette is now healthy and living in a group home.  Cameron said her cousin, whom she describes as affectionate, kind and full of life, has gained weight and is “doing great”.
“She lives a full, happy life, despite what happened to her before,” he said.  “We all say that the only reason he is here is that a miracle had to happen.”