Pasta with tomato juice as a meal before death

Pasta with tomato juice as a meal before death

A Laval resident brought her father home for his palliative care at the end of his life. She was so upset when she saw he was being served “disgusting” meals at the Cité-de-la-Santé in Laval.

“He literally couldn’t eat. It was horrifying to see someone who was [au départ] should get better at being served food like this,” says Natasha Gagliano.

His father, Angelo Gagliano, was hospitalized in the Cité-de-la-Santé in Laval until last Friday with lung problems. He recently learned he had less than two months to live due to fluid leaking into his lungs.

GEN-ANGELO GAGIANO

If Mr. Gagliano is satisfied with the care, it is exactly the opposite when it comes to meals. The 70-year-old, who is allergic to onions and has diabetes, says his menu only had the same four options.

A great sadness

“It’s repetitive, you look at it and you feel like throwing up. It’s the most disgusting thing to be served the same thing over and over again, says Mr. Gagliano and bursts into tears on the phone. I’ve worked and paid taxes for 60 years to contribute to the healthcare system,” he laments.

Not only was the menu not extensive, but the plates themselves were unappetizing, as evidenced by photos of his daughter, Natasha Gagliano.

In the Cité-de-la-Santé he is served a plate of ham, rice and carrots.

With kind approval

In the Cité-de-la-Santé he is served a plate of ham, rice and carrots.

A slice of ham under small carrots and a rice ball or even white noodles served on a sauce resembling tomato juice; Here are some meal examples that are unlikely to make our readers jealous.

Another meal, this time composed of pasta on a liquid sauce background.

With kind approval

Another meal, this time composed of pasta on a liquid sauce background.

“We were able to prepare and bring him our food, but a few weeks ago a nurse told us that we couldn’t do that anymore because of COVID,” his daughter also laments.

“This Breaks My Heart”

Angered that her father endured his last days in this way, she preferred to get him out of the hospital so that he could receive palliative care at home.

“It breaks my heart when I see people getting caught eating,” says Hugo Paquette of the workers’ union CISSS de Laval-CSN. All [à cet hôpital] receives a meal that looks like this. It has been at least five years since we asked to change and diversify the menus. »

CISSS de Laval has been urged to respond, specifically pleading for Mr Gagliano to follow a “very restrictive” therapeutic diet for meals.

“The photos “do not represent at all the quality of meals that we want for all patients in Quebec,” the health minister’s office responded.

“We will conduct the necessary checks with the CISSS to understand what happened in this case,” we added.

Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?

Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?