Abuse can thrive in understaffed PCHs, especially for-profit ones, expert says in wake of Winnipeg allegations

A seniors' advocate is calling for a privately-owned personal care home's licence to be suspended and for the government to take over administration of the Winnipeg facility in the wake of allegations of abuse impacting 15 residents.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said at a news conference Tuesday that it's investigating allegations of abuse by two care aides at Oakview Place, which is owned by Extendicare. The province and police are also investigating.

Eddie Calisto-Tavares says she feels heartbroken for the residents and families of the Sturgeon Heights personal care home, but also anger for the lack of accountability that allows wrongdoing to fester.

"For the apathy and the lack of action from both our government elected officials and the Winnipeg health region that continues to make excuses and allow for these for-profit homes to function," she said in an interview with CBC News on Thursday.

Calisto-Tavares's father, 88-year-old Manuel Calisto, was a resident of Maples Long Term Care, another privately-owned for-profit facility.

At Maples, 56 residents died from COVID-19 during an outbreak declared in October 2020. By the time it ended after nearly three months, 157 residents and 74 staff had been infected, according to a report commissioned by Manitoba Health.

Calisto-Tavares's father was among those who died in what she calls "Nightmare at Maples," when eight people died in a 48-hour period, resulting in a rapid response team being deployed.

A lack of staff is an ongoing problem in for-profit homes across the world.

For the last 15 years, Pat Armstrong has studied long-term care internationally and wrote a book on the privatization of personal care homes in 2020.

Throughout her studies, the distinguished research professor emeritus at York University says she's found that abuse thrives in personal care homes that are understaffed, and consistently the most understaffed facilities are privately-owned.

"If you're in that place to make money, your focus is on paying the least amount of money for care that you can in order to make a profit," Armstrong said.

"We have clear patterns of fewer staff around, and those staff that are there are paid less. They have less time to do things like support each other, less time to talk someone down or be talked down themselves."

Eventually, Armstrong thinks for-profit personal care homes will be phased out, but in the interim, governments should be proactive in terms of regular inspections rather than reactive when it comes to serious breaches of care.

She says interventions after abusive or neglectful situations in Canada and elsewhere have largely been ineffective because they were more about regulation rather than change.