In response to the comments from Louise Lalonde, Administrator of the Prescott and Russell Residence during my conversation with the Residence Administrator and Director of Care I did confirm that the family did not file a complaint or report our dissatisfaction concerning the care of our father. At the time our focus was on our father and his deteriorating condition and all we wanted was for the man that went into their care to recover and get back to the man he was . . . unfortunately, that never happened.
I would also like to point out that when our father became ill at the Residence, no one in the family was contacted. It was only when I went to visit and started asking questions that I became aware of the situation. I shudder to think what would have happened had I not stopped in to visit our father. During my conversation with the Administrator and Director of Care on April 30, they informed me that because our father was a temporary resident and on Coumadin the doctor would not write a prescription for antibiotics without consulting his family doctor.
In my letter to the editor and in my conversation with the Administrator and Director of Care I raised the issue about temporary residents not receiving the same privileges as a permanent resident. During our conversation the Administrator and Director of Care said this is the policy at all nursing homes. My reason for raising this issue is because we were never advised of this and I think the community needs to be aware of this policy so that if their loved ones are placed in temporary care they know exactly what they are dealing with and informed decisions regarding their health and welfare can be made.
Patricia Campbell, Ottawa, ON
You can read Patricia Campbell’s original letter to the editor here, and the Prescott-Russell Residence administrator’s response to that letter, here.
