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While the courts deal with the woman directly responsible for severely neglecting a Kamloops senior, her family is left questioning themselves, the provincial agency responsible for her care and one final question — how many more seniors in B.C. are being treated this way?

Their 72-year-old disabled sister was in care for 13 years, but in the last two years in care ending in 2019, she lost nearly all her muscle mass, was severely underweight and sleeping in her own urine, dead skin and blood. Although her former care aide pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of failing to provide necessities of life, Her family is left wondering how it was allowed to go on for at least two years. The case has exposed real deficiencies in care the provincial agencies won’t even talk about.

"For so long, we weren't questioning anyone. We were looking at ourselves wondering how we let this happen," the woman's sister, Lynne Bryson said. "As we're coming along and seeing the bigger picture, we're now saying there's got to be more (like my sister) in the province and this city."

Their sister, who is intentionally not being identified, lived at the Sagebrush home of Dawn Brush, who was supposed to care for her daily needs but instead is scheduled to be sentenced in Kamloops Supreme Court later this month. Brush was a contracted caregiver under the non-profit Thompson Community Services, which in turn is contracted by the Crown agency, Community Living B.C.

The woman is non-verbal, lives with disabilities and requires 24-hour care. She now lives in a group home where she's gained back her weight and the family is now confident she is well cared for.

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A police investigation found manipulated prescription documents that date back to 2017, which purported to hold medication records for the senior in care. After confirming with her pharmacy that those prescriptions weren't filled for more than two years, the Crown suggested that was the beginning of Brush's willful neglect.

Investigating officers described the home as smelling of urine and "decay" throughout. With animal feces and medical records strewn about the home, according to one testifying officer, they found the woman was living in a home that was unsanitary and unsafe for a vulnerable senior.

She had lived with the Brush family for 13 years, but there was no evidence to suggest anything was wrong in the previous 11 years. But at some point, "something broke" with Brush's mental state, and there's little explanation to what led to her emaciated state, according to her defence lawyer, Cameron Matthee-Johnson.

Throughout that time, Brush was obligated to keep records of her care, while both Thompson Community Services and Community Living B.C. were to stop by for regular inspections.

Community Living B.C., which answers to the Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation, is to conduct annual on-site visits at home-share facilities. Meanwhile, Thompson Community Services was expected to visit for inspections roughly every six weeks. It’s clear by now that oversight wasn't done, since she was clearly neglected for at least two years.

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Two case workers with the non-profit ostensibly visited the home on May 2, 2019 but just four days later the woman was urgently sent to Royal Inland Hospital by her family doctor and, soon after, removed from the home.

"You have to see them first hand and ensure they are safe and healthy," the woman's cousin, Regena Cameron, said.

Cameron was a case worker herself and she suspects the inspections were nothing more than a cursory visit. She recalled that in her experience, she would personally inspect medical records to ensure all appointments and prescriptions were met. She would also visit with the clients and make sure they were doing well, rather than relying on assurances from caregivers.

When case workers visited, they noted that she looked clean but thin and there was a smell of urine in the house. They found inconsistent medical records and one noted Brush would regularly need to be "prodded" to keep records up-to-date, according to court records.

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Along with case workers, Bryson said an Interior Health nurse should have regularly visited the home. For 11 years, there was no issue and Bryson would keep in regular contact with the nurse.

Then Bryson moved to the Lower Mainland and a nurse promised her she would let her know if there were any issues. Bryson later met with the nurse when her sister was taken to Royal Inland Hospital.

"She gave me a hug and said, 'I'm so sorry,'" Bryson said. "She wasn't able to do any checks because (Brush) would cancel. She hadn't checked for two years."

Bryson said persistent calls from her sister's doctor's secretary saved her life.

Bryson's sister had breast cancer, she said, and while Brush had cancelled multiple appointments, the secretary continued to call so the woman could finally get in for a check up.

The senior finally arrived on May 6, 2019, four days after the last home inspection, where Dr. Jonathan Wiltshire immediately called an ambulance upon seeing the woman's cachectic condition. Dr. Wiltshire described her as looking like "just almost bone, to be honest," according to court records.

She was 72 pounds when she arrived at the hospital.

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The senior's family is thankful for Dr. Wiltshire and the persistent calls from his office. Others under care through Community Living B.C. may not be so lucky if inspections aren't thorough.

Bryson pointed to a recent case in Port Coquitlam, where a 54-year-old woman with Down syndrome starved to death at her care home.

Florence Girard was found dead in October 2018 weighing just 56 pounds. She lived with her caregiver, Astrid Dahl, for eight years before she died.

In what appears to be a similar set of circumstances, Dahl is charged with failing to provide the necessities of life, according to Global News. The case is still before the courts.

But for all their questions, the agencies responsible for her care — and neglected that responsibility — aren’t providing answers.

When asked whether there is any formal complaints about Brush and why they neglected routine inspections, a Community Living B.C. spokesperson said it could not comment on the specific case, citing privacy reasons. 

This was their statement also included the response:

"(Community Living B.C.) takes this case very seriously in which a caregiver has admitted guilt to the charge of failing to provide the necessities of life. We are pleased the victim is now safe and healthy."

It continued to say that the Crown agency is working with "the agency," which was Thompson Community Services, to protect against caregivers "hiding evidence of neglect" in the future.

Bryson plans to take her message to MLAs and anyone who has a family member in care.

"Make sure someone is going in there every month. You've got to," she said. "You can't trust the system."

iNFOnews.ca reached out to Thompson Community Services for comment, but organization staff have not responded in time for publication.

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