Second Calgary senior dies in long term care facility; questions raised of neglect

Questions of neglect are being raised this week about the level of care at McKenzie Towne Long Term Care facility after the death of a second senior.

Family members of Wyonne Somers tell 660News the 75 year old woman died after developing a serious infection from wounds on her legs and feet.

Somers died only days after another resident who had developed bed sores earlier in the year.

The second woman reportedly never recovered and died six months after the onset of her infection.

Terry Somers-Barnes noticed problems only days after admitting her mother to the southeast facility.

The 75 year old Type 2 diabetic who had suffered from Alzheimer’s had escaped 3 times in the first 2 days.

She later returned to Calgary for her daughter’s wedding, visiting her mother on the morning of July 24th and found severe black and blue bruising all over her face.

“When I asked the staff what had happened, they told me they didn’t really know but thought she had an “unwitnessed fall”, I asked if she had been seen by a doctor and was told that the doctor was called by phone,” says Somers-Barnes. “The staff said that they were told the doctor felt she didn’t need to be seen and to just observe changes in her behaviour.”

Her mother’s eye had been swollen shut.

Terry writes it would later take six days after the injury was first noticed for her to be seen by a doctor.

Relatives had to call paramedics themselves, she was transported to South Health Campus where Wyonne was diagnosed with having a concussion.

A doctor had allegedly told her “Terry, if we shorten your Mom’s life by one or two months at this point, who cares.”

Family members say things didn’t take a turn for the worse until October 13th, 2013.

Wyonne was taken to hospital unresponsive.

The Calgary senior was unconscious due to the severe septicaemia she had developed from wounds on the back of her calves.

“She was often left in wet diapers result in urine running down her legs into the wounds and soaking her shoes and socks,” Terry says. “We had to throw out every pair of shoes and shoes she had because of urine stains and odour.”

According to relatives, the emergency room physician was appalled by Wyonne’s condition upon arrival at the South Health Campus.

“The doctors and nurses had told us to say our goodbyes to her because she had such severe sepsis going through her body that she wasn’t going to recover,” says granddaughter Breanne Sinclair.

She says they’ve been left with more questions than answers.

They’re hoping to prevent future tragedies like this one from happening to any other families.

“Not only do we have to mourn the death of a loved one, it’s mourning the death that didn’t have to go down this way, it’s unjust….,” says Sinclair. “We have prisoners, rapists, pedophiles and murderers that get better care than our seniors do, that’s not right for humanity.”

A review is now reportedly underway by Alberta Health Services into open wound treatment at the facility.