An octogenarian died after going without water or food for nearly 48 hours, as well as spending long hours in her chair in the corridors of the Hôtel-Dieu-de-Lévis emergency room, circumstances described by the agency as “unacceptable.” “ were denoted family.
In a “toxic climate” and “completely inhumane” Gilberte Gosselin, 86, lived her last two days, regretting her granddaughter Véronique Labonté and her daughter Sylvie Berthiaume, who were by her bedside until his last breath.
“I really have the impression that they let him die,” says Ms. Labonté, still frustrated by what happened.
hip fracture
Ms Gosselin was admitted to the Hôtel-Dieu-de-Lévis last Tuesday with a hip fracture. She was therefore installed on a stretcher in an emergency room corridor.
Ms. Gosselin, who struggled with cognitive problems and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), used a walker to get around.
After some tests, an orthopedist suggests hip surgery to the family, despite the health risks involved. “His wish was to live. She wanted everything she could have. She wanted us to fix it for her,” says Ms. Berthiaume.
end of life
But after a first night in the emergency room, Ms. Gosselin’s condition deteriorated so much that an operation is no longer possible.
Rather, a family doctor announces 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. Gosselin in the last hours of her life.
Unfortunately, Ms. Gosselin was never transferred there, despite numerous reminders from the family. Instead, she was twice moved to other areas of the ER that were curtained.
In his stool
On Wednesday evening, the family also called a member of staff to tell them that Ms Gosselin had a bowel movement and needed to be changed.
“We have asked about it several times. The nurse told us that the companions [aux bénéficiaires] has left. That nobody was there anymore,” says Mrs. Berthiaume, still traumatized.
More than three hours later, Ms. Gosselin had finally changed, the family says.
Without food
Throughout his hospital stay, no member of the hospital staff offered anything to eat or drink for the octogenarian, who was “visibly debilitated,” despite repeated pleas from relatives, they said.
“On Tuesday she had nothing. They didn’t want to give her anything more until Wednesday for fear she might choke. At the end of the day, we’re told about thickened water, but it never came. No dissolved substance either,” says Ms. Labonté.
As she lives out her final hours, the hungry octogenarian asks for a toast, which she is refused, says Ms. Labonté. So she settled for an applesauce and jelly.
Last night
Ms Gosselin breathed her last at around 9:45 the next morning, says her daughter, who was by her side.
“I went to the train station [des infirmières] and I said come help me, my mother is dying,” she said. “I’ve been panicking ever since. I talk about it and I’m struggling,” she admits emotionally.
Thus, Mrs. Berthiaume spent almost an hour beside her deceased mother, without anyone coming to certify her death.
Dressed in a jacket
Mrs. Gosselin’s body was then transferred to the “family room” for the family to gather their thoughts.
But the treatment of her late mother, who staff fitted in a disposable isolation gown, was “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Ms Berthiaume said.
“She had a blue paper jacket and her legs were already in a plastic bag with a label,” laments her granddaughter.
Shocked, she decides to change it herself. “It was unacceptable to me that my grandmother wore that. Her clothes were in a bag with her. It doesn’t make any sense,” she said.
-With the collaboration of Audrey Robaille
HIS ANGRY DAUGHTER AND GRANDCHILDREN
“ She didn’t deserve to die like this in the emergency room, on a dirty floor, with no pillows, just a small blanket, no privacy. »
– Sylvie Berthiaume, daughter of the deceased
“ We could see that the staff was overwhelmed. We lived with contempt. Guards shouted at my grandmother […] It is not up to the patients to pay for the sick system. »
– Véronique Labonté, granddaughter of the deceased
The hospital will analyze what happened
An “analysis of events” surrounding the death of the octogenarian is being carried out by the management of the Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis.
This was confirmed to the Journal by the spokeswoman for the CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches, Mireille Gaudreau, when asked about this.
“Any event that seems unusual is analyzed by the risk management department, who make recommendations where appropriate,” she said, adding that the process is “routine.”
The “overloaded” emergency
Ms Gaudreau also confirms that the hospital’s emergency department was “overwhelmed” at the time of Gilberte Gosselin’s hospitalization.
One of the emergency doctors who treated Ms. Gosselin also wrote personally to the family in recent days to apologize for the “inhuman” treatment.
“Unacceptable” situation
In a brief exchange on social networks, which Le Journal was able to consult, she denounced the situation, which she described as “unacceptable”.
However, she did not respond to our interview request.
There is currently no ongoing coroner’s investigation into this case.
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