Man with Down syndrome left in hospital after living in small substitute home, family says

The sister of a Cape Breton man with Down syndrome says her brother’s tiny substitute home left him in the hospital.

For 20 years, Brent Beaton has lived in Koster Huis, a home in Mabou, NS, operated by the County of Inverness Municipal Housing Corporation, a non-profit licensed and funded by the province.

Beaton, 60, and three other disabled people lived at the home, with two staff members on site most of the time to look after them.

But on December 22, Lauryn Murphy said she received an email from Koster Huis saying her brother was being taken by ambulance to hospital in Inverness because his temperature was fluctuating, his skin was discolored and his urine smelled foul.

Shortly after his arrival, hospital staff decided he could go home, he said, but Koster Huis refused to take him back.

“I called the hospital in the morning and they said, ‘Okay, nothing to worry about, he’ll be released.’ But then I found out (administration) weren’t going to take him home,” Murphy said.

“I thought he was completely abandoned in the hospital.”

Her brother, she said, loved listening to music on his CD player and dancing to it, especially tunes by his cousin, musician Howie McDonald. He said even though he can no longer speak, he still loves a good joke.

“He has a keen sense of humor that only certain people have.”

Murphy calls her brother’s behavior “brutal” and “merciless.” She said she tried to find out why the home wouldn’t take her back even though there was no medical reason for her to stay in the hospital.

She called her care coordinator, a professional from the Department of Opportunity and Social Development who handles her case file. Murphy said he was told the home cited safety concerns but was provided few details.

She said her brother had been sent to the ER three times since earlier in October, but each time doctors found no medical reason to keep him in the hospital. Staff at Koster Huis reported he was having trouble swallowing, had unsteady legs and was suffering from some incontinence issues, she said.

“The words the administrator said to me were that the staff were mentally and physically exhausted from taking care of Brent,” Murphy said.

She said her brother’s care coordinator had completed an assessment of his needs and that although it was determined Beaton needed more personal care, he still met the criteria to remain In a house with a small choice.

Murphy said that more resources, including additional staff, were offered to help house Koster Huis, but the administration never requested it.

TeaThe idea of ​​placing Beaton in long-term care was raised in the autumn. Murphy said he told Koster Huis administration that he and his brotherThe Lings will discuss the case in the new year but asked not to be subjected to any unnecessary ER visits before Christmas. A few days later he was taken to the hospital, where he has remained since.

The Municipal Housing Corporation declined CBC’s request for an interview. In a statement, CEO Frank Nelson said, “Small option homes do not operate within a clinical care model, and the staff is not equipped to manage complex or increasing medical needs.”

“We take our responsibilities to residents and their families seriously and are committed to working in a way that prioritizes safety, respects individual rights and aligns with the goals and recommendations of the human rights measure.”

But Murphy argues that since Beaton is not receiving any medical treatment in the hospital, he does not have complex medical needs.

The Department of Opportunity and Social Development could not speak on Beaton’s case due to confidentiality issues. However, Maria Medioli, executive director of the province’s Disability Assistance Program, explained how cases are handled when home staff feel they no longer have the resources to care for someone.

“Normally no one would push someone, you know, by telling someone they have to leave immediately,” she said.

Medioli said the person’s support planner will first be contacted to explain what’s happening, then the department will offer assistance to the person to maintainn in their favorite house, which proves to be successful in many cases.

looking for accountability

Murphy believes her brother’s situation contradicts the goals of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Remedy, one of which is to support people with disabilities in the community, in homes like Koster Huis, rather than in large institutions.

Murphy said she complained to the Department of Opportunity and Social Development last week.

He said, “I’m really keen to see someone held accountable for what I feel was discrimination against a defenseless, vulnerable man.”

Unable to find an opening for Beaton in a small substitute home in her community, Murphy’s name is placed on a waiting list for long-term care. But she thinks it’s a backward step in care, especially given the poor staff-to-resident ratios in long-term care facilities.

She hoped to be put on a priority list to move into a seniors home in Port Hawkesbury, but was told that would not be the case. She doesn’t know how long he will stay in the hospital.

Despite this, she said her brother was in good spirits.

“He’s eating his food, he’s walking, he seems pretty happy out there… We try to visit him at least once a week,” Murphy said.

“We do our best to keep her spirits up and try to make sure she knows we care about her.”

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