63 www.rnca.ca Diane Crocker · Multimedia Journalist | Oct. 13, 2022 Elderly Newfoundland woman’s family say she was made fun of by workers at Baie Verte long-term care. Her daughter and granddaughter say Central Health was reluctant to give them details of the incident Olive Foster and her niece Colleen Gray are upset, and rightly so. The La Scie women were recently informed that an incident involving Foster’s mother had taken place at the long-term care unit of the Baie Verte Peninsula Health Centre. They are the third family to speak publicly about things that are happening at the long-term care. On Sept. 12, Gray got a call from the centre letting her know that there had been an incident involving her 92-year-old grandmother, Dorothy Foster. The person who called couldn’t give her any other details and told her to expect a call the next day. On Sept. 13 she got a call from three people with Central Health who first apologized and later told her the incident involved a personal hygiene matter. “They were reluctant on telling me what,” Gray told SaltWire Network. Whatever had happened the workers were laughing at it and then talking about it in the nurse’s office across from her grandmother’s room. Gray said they also made a call to someone who was not working to tell them what had happened. Dorothy Foster heard the laughter and what was being said about her and when another worker brought in her breakfast, she told them what she’d heard. It was that worker who reported the incident. Gray said the health authority would not tell her who the staff members were for privacy reasons and because it was still under investigation, but she was assured that none of themwould be involved in her grandmother’s care. Gray wanted them to also call Foster. Foster said her call also came from three people from the health authority who apologized to her. She’s not sure if they said there was an investigation, or they were looking into it. “And that’s all,” said Foster, who didn’t know what to make of what she’d heard. She said her mother is bed ridden and can’t move her legs or sit up without help. “I hung up from talking from them and I was more confused, because they were telling me nothing in a roundabout way.” She later learned the same information that Gray had, — that the workers were laughing at her mother because of something she was doing. “But we don’t know what she was doing because they never told us," Foster said. Whatever it was, Foster said it wasn’t right to be watching her and making fun. Gray added the workers are supposed to have compassion. “Not to go out then and talk and make fun. It doesn’t even make sense," she said. In the beginning the women didn’t know that other incidents had been occurring at the long-term care but by the weekend started hearing gossip around town about inappropriate pictures being taken of residents, including Dorothy Foster. Gray started calling the centre and Central Health and it took a few days before she could get a response. “And they guaranteed me that there’s no pictures of nan," she said. Gray said her grandmother no longer remembers what happened and that’s a good thing because of how it would make her feel. “She overhead themmaking fun and talking about her. As much Dorothy Foster has been a resident of the Baie Verte Health Centre’s long-term care unit for four years. Her family is upset about a recent incident where she was made fun of by workers at the facility. - Contributed continued
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