COVID-19: coroner’s inquest told of years of neglect at Quebec City-area seniors home

LEVIS — A coroner’s inquest into long-term care deaths in Quebec during the pandemic’s first wave resumed today with the tabling of a report exposing years of neglect at a facility south of Quebec City.

The February 2021 report into private long-term care home Manoir Liverpool ordered by the regional health authority describes residents’ living conditions dating back to 2014.

It describes how some residents went up to three weeks without showering, had insufficient food and lived in unsanitary conditions. 

The report says that even before the pandemic, the residents’ care plans were “absolutely incomplete” and failed to follow sanitary standards, adding that families of residents were left to clean urine on the floor.

Coroner Gehane Kamel’s mandate is to investigate the deaths at seven seniors residences and long-term care homes, which are known as CHSLDs in Quebec. In total, she is investigating 53 deaths at the seven facilities.

The vast majority of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Quebec have occurred in long-term care homes and private seniors residences. Coroner’s inquests are not intended to assign blame, but to make recommendations to avoid similar occurrences.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 12, 2021. 

The Canadian Press