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Two Fridays ago, Kathy Jolicoeur was all set to welcome her 39-year-old developmentally-disabled daughter home for a visit for the first time in 4 1/2 months.
The paperwork had been prepared and a series of meetings held between officials at the Kitchener residential care setting where her daughter has resided for 22 years, Waterloo public health and the ministry of children, community and social services.
She told me this week she was to be the first in Ontario to pilot a protocol for congregate care settings that would permit a three-hour visit every five days for her daughter, Lisa, who is non-verbal and functions at the level of a 2-3-year-old and needs care in all aspects of life.
She was given permission, she says, to hold Lisa’s hand and place her arm around her shoulder.
However at the 11th hour she was phoned by a nurse at Sunbeam Centre and told that she was not permitted to kiss her “anywhere on the face, head or body.”
Having met all of their protocols, Jolicoeur said she got very upset with the last-minute demand, made as while she was in the midst of training for her new online job..
She was told if witnessed, such contact would “immediately result” in the termination of the visit and possible isolation for Lisa.
Jolicoeur said 30 minutes later she was informed the whole pilot was off.
Sunbeam’s executive director Brian Swainson wrote her an e-mail at 6:30 pm that Friday evening indicating that he saw “far too much risk of non-compliance” on her part, and this could have had “serious health and safety consequences” to the half-dozen persons served at the daughter’s home.
“I stand by my withdrawal from Sunbeam participating in this Trial program,” he wrote, indicating that it took “almost a full day of effort and resources” for them to prepare the detailed forms, guidelines, attestations and eligibility criteria paperwork.
Swainson offered the alternative of taking Lisa home, after which she’d have to isolate back at the group home.
Jolicoeur, who cried more than once during our interview, said she couldn’t agree to that because she was led to believe that her daughter would be quarantined in her bedroom for two weeks.
“What parent who loves her child would knowingly do that?” she asked.
Because of Lisa’s cognitive ability, it was decided window and backyard visits would be traumatizing for her — especially since her daughter would want to go for a car ride and staff would have to “restrain her” from getting too close to mom.
I asked her if there was “some compromise” given her negative COVID tests — like kissing Lisa with her mask on.
She said Sunbeam officials have refused to back down.
In fact, the back-and-forth appears to have ramped-up with Swainson sending her a three-page e-mail Friday accusing her, among other things, of engaging in “unrelenting inappropriate communications with front-line staff” and of alleging he is “driven by ego … and power-driven.”
She said families are afraid to come forward because she’s “living it.”
Jolicoeur added that she’s worried her 88-year-old mom will die without seeing her granddaughter ever again.
In his response to the Toronto Sun, Swainson said he was not able to address specifics related to Lisa in order “to comply with confidentiality requirements.”
He insisted that Sunbeam has been and continues to be “operating in full compliance with all government and health authority mandatory orders” related to the pandemic.
He said they are “extremely sensitive” to the challenges of the persons they serve and their families during these “unprecedented times” and “clearly communicate” the options available to families where feasible.
As for Jolicoeur’s isolation concerns, Swainson was non-committal.
He said Waterloo Region public health is involved in the decision-making based on “all relevant factors” including whether isolation is required or not, how it is to be conducted and what physical space options are available.
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July 25, 2020 at 06:48AM
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LEVY: Mom told to 'kiss off' by Kitchener group home - Toronto Sun
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