An octogenarian died following being left without water or food for nearly 48 hours, in addition to having remained for long hours in her stool in the corridors of the emergency room of the Hôtel-Dieu-de-Lévis, circumstances “unacceptable” denounced by the family.
It was in a “toxic climate” and “totally inhuman” that Gilberte Gosselin, aged 86, lived her last two days, deplore her granddaughter, Véronique Labonté and her daughter, Sylvie Berthiaume, who was at her bedside until his last breath.
“I really feel like they let him die,” said Ms.me Labonté, still frustrated by the events.
Hip fracture
Mme Gosselin was admitted to the Hôtel-Dieu-de-Lévis last Tuesday for a hip fracture. She was thus installed on a stretcher, in a hallway of the emergency room.
Struggling with cognitive issues and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Mr.me Gosselin moved with the help of a walker.
After carrying out a few tests, an orthopedist suggests hip surgery to the family, even though it poses risks to their health. “His desire was to live. She wanted to have everything she might have. She wanted us to fix it for her, ”says Mme Berthiaume.
End of life
But, following a first night in the emergency room, the condition of Mme Gosselin has deteriorated so much that the option of surgery no longer holds.
A doctor rather announces to the family that she is now at the end of her life. He therefore asks for a “more intimate” room, so that the family can accompany Mrs.me Gosselin in his last hours of life.
Unfortunately, M.me Gosselin was never transferred there, despite numerous reminders from the family. She was instead moved, twice, to other areas of the emergency room, equipped with curtains.
In his stool
Wednesday evening, the family also called a member of staff to advise him that Mr.me Gosselin had a saddle and needs to be changed.
“We asked for it several times. The nurse told us that the attendants [aux bénéficiaires] had left. That there was no one left to do it,” says Ms.me Berthiaume, still traumatized.
More than three hours later, M.me Gosselin is finally changed, says the family.
Without food
Throughout his hospitalization, despite repeated requests from relatives, no member of the hospital staff offered anything to eat or drink to the octogenarian, who “was visibly weakening”, they mention.
“On Tuesday she had nothing. By Wednesday, they didn’t want to give her anything for fear she would choke. At the end of the day, we are told of thickened water, but it never came. No solute either,” says Mme Goodness.
While living her last hours, the octogenarian, hungry, asks for a toast, which she is refused, says Ms.me Goodness. She thus contented herself with an applesauce and a Jell-O.
Last night
Mme Gosselin took his last breath around 9:45 a.m. the next morning, says his daughter, who was by his side.
“I went to the station [des infirmières] and I said come help me, my mother is dying,” she said. “I’ve been in a bit of a panic since then. I talk regarding it and I have difficulty, ”she admits, emotional.
Mme Berthiaume thus spent nearly an hour alongside his deceased mother, without anyone coming to see her dead.
Dressed in a jacket
The body of M.me Gosselin was then transferred to the “family room” to allow the family to gather.
But the treatment of her deceased mother, whom staff put on a disposable isolation gown, was “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Ms.me Berthiaume.
“She had this kind of blue paper jacket and her legs were already in a plastic bag with a label,” complains her granddaughter.
Shocked, she decides to change it herself. “For me it was unacceptable for my grandmother to wear this. Her clothes were in a bag on her. It doesn’t make sense,” she said.
-With the collaboration of Audrey Robitaille
HIS ANGRY DAUGHTER AND GRANDDAUGHTER
« She didn’t deserve to die in the ER like this, on a dirty floor, no pillow, just a little blanket, no privacy. »
– Sylvie Berthiaume daughter of the deceased
« We might see that the staff was overwhelmed. We lived with contempt. Attendants yelled at my grandmother […] It is not up to patients to pay for the system that is sick. »
– Véronique Labonté, granddaughter of the deceased
The hospital will analyze what happened
An “analysis of events” related to the death of the octogenarian will be carried out by the management of the Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis.
This was confirmed at Journal the spokesperson for the CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches, Mireille Gaudreau, questioned in this regard.
“Any event that seems abnormal is analyzed by the risk management department, which issues recommendations if necessary,” she said, adding that this process was “routine”.
The “overloaded” emergency
Mme Gaudreau also confirms that the emergency room of the hospital was in a situation of “overload” at the time of the hospitalization of Gilberte Gosselin.
What’s more, one of the emergency room doctors who treated Ms. Gosselin personally wrote to the family in the last few days to apologize for the “inhumane” treatment she received.
“Unacceptable” situation
In a brief exchange on social networks, that The newspaper was able to consult, she denounces the situation, which she describes as “unacceptable”.
However, she did not respond to our interview request.
At this time, no coroner’s inquest is underway in this case.