WINNIPEG - Mysterious bruises, mocking comments and uncleanly conditions are some of the abuses Phyllis Froese alleges her late father endured at a Winnipeg seniors' home.
Henry Froese spent eight months at the Charleswood Care Centre, and Froese says the problems began almost immediately.
"There were a lot of mysterious bruises, skin tears that we didn't ever find out why they had happened," Froese said.
Her father suffered from dementia and was often confused. Froese said she heard staff "snickering and mocking him."
Froese and Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard held a media conference at the Manitoba legislature Thursday to discuss the issue.
"There were complaints numerous times," Gerrard said. "I was actually involved personally in writing to (Health Minister) Theresa Oswald, but the problem was never corrected ... It's very sad that somebody like Henry Froese ... in his last stages of his life had to go through this sort of indignity."
Froese also claimed her father was was not bathed enough and was put on Seroquel, an anti-psychotic drug, without family consultation.
Henry was eventually moved to another home last April, where he lived the last 23 weeks of his life with his wife Elsie. He died this fall at age 95.
Gerrard raised Froese's case in Question Period, where Oswald defended health officials' handling of the complaints.
"Although there have been allegations made today that nothing was done, indeed there have been multiple contacts between the (Winnipeg Regional Health Authority), the personal care home and the family," Oswald said.
She stressed that every allegation that is brought forward is looked into by the Protection for Persons in Care office, and if warranted, a more in-depth investigation is conducted.
WRHA head Real Cloutier said there were numerous conversations and meetings regarding Froese, adding that there is no indication there was "any level of physical abuse."
Two apologies were written to the Froese family, one in January for the mocking incident, and another in June for not meeting the family's expectations.
Cloutier said the Charleswood Care Centre underwent a standards review last spring, where it passed 11 of the 12 standards.
The case came to public light Thursday only one day after the province announced a seniors abuse hotline to be available 24-7.
"I think it's a wonderful idea for seniors but ... we've seen first-hand that writing to the minister and having meetings, nothing happens. So how good is this hotline going to be?" Phyllis Froese said.
jillian.austin@sunmedia.ca
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