To The Editor,
I read with interest your recent article regarding the Prescott Russell Residence. Sadly, having first-hand experience with the nursing home, our experience was anything but satisfactory. Due to unfortunate circumstances, in 2014 our father was placed in respite care for one month and we were told that the nursing home was capable of caring for him and they were aware he had a prosthetic leg. When we went to visit him, the room he was in was not set up for an amputee. There were no grab bars, no aids to assist him getting in and out of bed independently; it was a bare bones room.
And then to top it all off, when we went to visit one Friday evening we could tell our father wasn’t his normal self. After questioning the nursing staff we were told they thought our father had a urinary tract infection, but because he was a temporary resident the doctor would not write a prescription for him. Supposedly, the doctor sent an email to our father’s family doctor in Ottawa on Friday afternoon and they hadn’t heard back. Surprise, Surprise – how many doctors do you know who work on a Friday afternoon? I was always under the impression that doctors take the Hippocratic Oath so to not write a prescription for a resident who clearly was battling an infection was shocking.
We had to seek medical care at the Hawkesbury General Hospital, all because the doctor at the nursing home would not write a prescription and his condition deteriorated to the point where he became delirious and had to be admitted to the hospital. Being the strong fighter he was, he did make somewhat of a recovery, but sadly, he was never able to go back home after the negligent care of the Prescott-Russell Nursing Home. People need to be aware that as a temporary resident, you do not receive the same privileges as a permanent resident.
Patricia Campbell, Ottawa
Editor’s Note: The United Counties of Prescott-Russell contacted Patricia Campbell after reading this letter.
You can read that reply here.
