Police investigating woman's death at Ottawa nursing home

Ottawa police are investigating the death of an elderly woman found severely injured outside the Carlingview Manor long-term care facility last month.

Ottawa paramedics received the call at 9 a.m. on April 17, and arrived at the facility at 2330 Carling Ave. to find a woman in her 80s near an exterior wall "with severe traumatic injuries."

"Her injuries were consistent with a fall from a significant height," said paramedic spokesperson Marc Antoine Deschamps. "She was in cardiac arrest and she was pronounced dead at the scene." 

The woman was a resident at the private facility, paramedics said.

Ottawa police are investigating whether criminal negligence may have been a factor in the woman's death, but gave few other details.

Traumatic injuries unusual

Deschamps said that kind of injury at a long-term care facility is highly unusual.

"We expect calls [from] long-term care facilities [about] residents who passed away, [about] illnesses, but to have somebody suffer such traumatic injury at a nursing home is quite unusual and unexpected," he said. 

Inspectors with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care are also investigating the incident.

"The ministry initiated an immediate inspection upon being notified of the incident by the home," said spokesperson Mark Nesbitt in an emailed statement.

The ministry will release its findings on a government website devoted to reports on long-term care homes.

Critical incident reports

Carlingview Manor, owned by Revera, has been the subject of several "critical incident reports" over the past year. 

On Dec. 28, 2017, a 59-year-old resident with dementia wandered away from the home at 11 p.m. as the temperature outside dipped below –25 C. 

A Good Samaritan found the woman suffering from frostbite about 10 hours later.

On Jan. 11, an inspector found the facility had failed to ensure doors leading outside the building were properly locked and secure.

"We are enhancing our oversight through the Strengthening Quality and Accountability for Patients Act to ensure all operators are addressing concerns promptly," Nesbitt wrote.

"This includes new enforcement tools, including financial penalties and new offences for operators who repeatedly do not comply with the requirements of the Act." 

Revera expressed its condolences to her family and friends in an emailed statement to CBC News, saying it had counsellors on site for residents and employees after she died.

"Out of respect for the resident's privacy, and that of the family, we cannot discuss any details publicly," said Larry Roberts, its senior manager of corporate affairs.

"Revera continues to work with investigators from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care."