Manitoba care home incident under investigation: health minister

Manitoba’s health minister says the province’s seniors’ advocate is looking into allegations of mistreatment at an assisted-living facility in Pinawa.

Manitoba’s health minister is directing the province’s seniors advocate to investigate an incident at a Manitoba care home that a former employee claims resulted in the RCMP being called and the worker losing her job.

Uzoma Asagwara, minister of health, seniors and long-term care, confirmed during an interview with CTV News on Wednesday that the advocate’s office has agreed to investigate.

“My hope is that the families get not only all the answers that they need and deserve here, but also accountability in terms of how their loved ones were allegedly treated and mistreated,” Asagwara said.

This comes after Josephine Hall, a former caregiver at the Ironwood Gardens in Pinawa, Man., told CTV News she was fired from her job for reporting an incident where an elderly resident with dementia at the assisted-living facility was berated by the manager.

Hall said she was provided with a recording of the incident from a fellow employee, which she gave to the RCMP. She alleges the board of the facility fired her for reporting the incident to police.

Asagwara called the allegations “disturbing.”

“Manitobans expect that when their loved ones are in supportive housing of any kind, that they’re safe, that they’re receiving the care that they need, and that they’re receiving it in a dignified way,” they said.

Asagwara added the province is open to discussions regarding more provincial oversight of Manitoba care homes.

“There’s always ways that we can improve the safety and protection of seniors in this province, and so we are open to, of course, any conversation with experts, with families who want to share with us what they think they’d like to see in order to ensure that seniors are protected,” they said.

CTV News reached out to the facility manager, as well as the president and vice-president of the Ironwood Gardens board for comment on Tuesday, but did not receive a response.

- With files from CTV’s Harrison Shin