Announcer: The following
 program...
[ ♪♪ ]
David: A special year-long
 Marketplace investigation.
 Undercover
 inside nursing homes.
David: Families search
 for the truth.
Woman: My poor mother.
David: Has long-term care
 reached the crisis point?
Oh!
We're way past that.
I think we've been
in crisis for years.
If this happened
in a daycare,
that daycare would be
shut down in five minutes.
David: How to
 fight for better care
 on your Marketplace.
 One of these men
 will soon be dead.
 A violent attack inside
 a nursing home against
 84-year-old Meyer Sadoway.
 It's caught on security video.
 Video the home, Baycrest, kept
 hidden from Meyer's family.
It's shocking.
It's a horror movie.
David: Diane Miles and Frances
 Sadoway are his sisters.
You had a phone call?
I got a phone call.
David:
 And what did they say?
That Meyer
had two falls.
David: It would take
 months after the attack,
 after Meyer's death,
 for his sisters to see
 the video and learn the truth.
 I started
 crying hysterically.
And I thought,
I can't believe it.
They said they can
explain everything.
-That's right.
-They'll explain it.
So I said there's
nothing to explain,
it's very clear what happened
between Meyer and this resident,
 how Meyer ended up dead.
David: What happened to Meyer
 is not isolated in Ontario.
 It's why we're heading
 inside nursing homes.
 Because violence
 is on the rise.
 Resident assaults have
 doubled in just six years,
 from four a day to
 now almost nine.
Woman: This is the lounge.
David: A shocking increase
 and we want to know why
 so we're visiting homes
 with some of the highest
 reported rates of
 abuse and neglect.
David: We arrive in
 time to rescue this woman.
I'm going to
give her trouble.
David: Her wheelchair
hooked on a flower pot.
Hi, guys.
David: It's -18 and
that woman, that resident
of a long-term care facility,
is stuck outside.
Oh, my God.
David: Miranda Ferrier
 worked in long-term care
 for seven years.
We have no idea
how long she was out there
before we found her.
There's no excuse for that.
David: Now she
 runs an association
 for 31,000 personal
 support workers.
Did you see
how they jumped up?
When you guys went in there
and said there's someone
outside who needs help?
Oh, oops.
David: Oops can
go bad when it's -18.
Oops can go bad very quickly.
David: At a different
 nursing home
 in London, Ontario,
 we overhear workers
 warn that care is suffering.
David: No time
 for proper baths.
We don't have time in the
day to wash them properly.
David: How often does that
happen in the long-term-- ?
Every single day.
And no, I'm not kidding.
Every single day.
Because they
don't have the time.
David: And why don't
 they have the time?
Because there's not
enough people on the floor,
there's not enough
PSWs on the floor.
David: No time to
 check on residents.
David: Incredibly, these care
 givers aren't just griping.
 They're complaining to a
 visiting government inspector.
David: But the inspector
 says she's powerless.
David: And that is legal
 because no province has set
 a minimum ratio of care givers
 to residents, the way there is
 for other vulnerable
 populations like daycares.
Which I don't
think is very fair.
These people built the
society we live in today.
And now they need
us more than ever.
And we're failing them.
We are failing them
in a big, big way.
David: Miranda says
 understaffing is a clear factor
 in rising abuse and neglect.
When we're talking about
putting more care into the
system we need to talk
about more scrubs on the floor.
How many staff do you have?
We need to talk ratios.
I truly believe that is
the answer to so many
of our problems.
David: Problems documented
 in thousands of government
 inspection reports.
 A resident dragging another
 resident who was screaming.
 Residents who punch,
 kick, and scratch.
 And one who died after
 being struck by another
 elderly resident.
Woman: They have the
three meal services
and then the snack carts
in between.
David: Back on hidden camera,
 we want to hear what homes are
 telling families about
 staffing on official tours.
In my experience when people
have gone into long term care
facilities, and they ask,
"What is the minimum ratio?"
they say, "1 to 8."
But that's not the truth.
David: The real story?
 Not one province
 has set a minimum.
-David: There's no rule.
-No, there's no rule.
-David: No law.
-No law.
-David: No requirement.
-Nope.
David: But we're hearing
 a different story from some
 care home administrators.
David: That isn't true.
 There is no allotment.
 No minimums.
 But we hear it again.
..and there's times that we
exceed the minimum requirement.
David: So what gives?
Well, I mean, what are
they going to say to a family
that's coming in on a tour?
Think about that.
-They're there to sell.
-David: Well, don't lie.
Well, but they're
there to sell.
There is no ministry standard.
David: Do you think the
current staffing levels in
Ontario long-term
care are sufficient?
Absolutely not.
David: Lawyer and elder
 advocate Jane Meadus says
 nursing homes aren't staffed to
 deal with the changing profile
 of the average resident.
We have a much older and
sicker and frailer population,
so you're getting more
people who are acting out
and have these behaviours.
David: Is there a direct
line for you between the higher
number of abuse incidents
and people with dementia?
Absolutely, I think that
that's a huge number of the
people that are acting out
and having these behaviours.
David: Homes used to
 manage aggression with drugs.
 Many residents with
 dementia were given
 powerful anti-psychotics.
About a quarter of
all residents are given
anti-psychotic drugs, and they
may not all really need them.
She couldn't walk and a
lot of times she couldn't talk.
What we are now doing is
drugging our senior population
into submission.
David: There was
 push back and anti-psychotic
 use dropped by a third.
 Seems like good news.
 But what happened?
 We hired statisticians
 to dig deep in the data,
and they confirm that as
anti-psychotic drug use
went down, abuse in
nursing homes has gone up.
Doesn't necessarily
mean one caused the other,
but without extra staff to deal
with the aggressive behaviour,
 reducing drug use may have
 had unintended consequences.
 People like Meyer
 face that violence.
 He tried to block a larger man,
 a wanderer with dementia,
 from entering his room
 and was attacked.
 When staff do react,
 they lead the aggressor away,
 but there's no one
 to help Meyer.
 He struggles...
 and falls, trying to escape.
 His hip is broken that night.
 He dies four days
 after the attack.
 -Meyer must have been afraid.
And he was trying to
move himself to get up,
and he was having
difficulty getting up
and they just walked away.
David: It's been five years
 since Diane and Frances
 lost their brother.
Frances: He enjoyed the fresh
 air and seeing other people
 and moving around.
 David: There was no autopsy,
 but his family connects
 the violence to his
 unexpected death.
We were told it's going to
be specially-trained staff who
have special training for
these-- for the behaviours
of these residents.
David: We asked
 Baycrest to explain.
 They won't talk about what
 happened to Meyer Sadoway,
 but do tell us no amount of
 care planning or staffing
 can prevent all altercations.
 Miranda Ferrier is
 stunned by Meyer's death.
 But not surprised.
That kind of thing
is happening more,
-a lot more.
-All the time.
All the time.
ALL the time.
We need more
accountability and oversight.
That's what we need.
David: The shocking video.
I literally collapsed.
 I observed my grandfather
 being physically punched
in the face 11 times.
David: What is your
government doing to try to
stop and reduce violence
in long-term care homes?
Well, I do believe that we've
made important improvements.
[ ♪♪ ]
David: Crying out for
 care on your Marketplace.
[ ♪♪ ]
David: The video is shocking.
 An elderly resident of a
 care home being punched
 by the very person
 meant to look after him.
I literally collapsed.
It was the most gut-wrenching
thing I have ever gone through
in my entire life.
 My grandfather was
 my hero growing up.
 His background is in
 law enforcement and so
 he was very stern,
 he was a disciplinarian.
He was a source of comfort,
stability for our family.
David: For five years,
 Daniel Nessrallah has
 watched George Karam's
 slow slide into dementia.
It is one of the most
difficult decisions and
experiences you could
ever undertake as a family.
You have a loved one, you want
to provide the comfort and care
for them as best as possible.
David: But Daniel worried
 there was harm instead of care
 at Ottawa's Garry J. Armstrong
 long-term care home.
David: What prompted you
 to put a camera
 in your grandfather's room?
After a series of incidents
where my grandfather suffered
numerous cuts, bruises,
and lesions to his head,
his arms, his person.
David: The camera is
 visible to anyone in the room.
If something like that can
happen with a camera
in the room that's known to
staff, what else are we missing
in places where there
aren't cameras?
It's really scary to think.
David: Miranda Ferrier
 worked as a PSW,
 a personal support worker, and
 now represents Ontario's PSWs.
What I always say to
people is imagine being
that resident in that bed.
You're confused, you're elderly,
you don't know what's going on.
And there's this person
that's jerking you around
to do your care.
Wouldn't you fight as well?
If he's so combative what
you do is you cover him,
you make sure he's safe,
his dignity is intact,
and you leave the room.
David: The worker
 on the video was fired,
 charged and pled
 guilty to assault.
 Our year-long analysis
 shows this wasn't isolated.
 Reported incidents inside
 Ontario homes between staff
 and residents went from
 about 900 in 2011 up to
 almost 2200 in 2016.
 A jump of almost
 150 per cent.
 And abuse can take many forms.
David: On hidden camera,
 we hear stories of neglect.
David: This resident has asked
 us to hide her identity because
 she's worried staff will
 punish her for speaking out.
Daniel: These aren't
 isolated incidents,
 it's systemic,
 it's widespread,
 and yes, as the population
 continues to age,
 as the baby boomers are going
 to be entering long-term care
in droves in the next 20 years,
this is the foremost concern
for Canadian society right now.
David: Daniel is a lawyer
 and in the wake of his own
 grandfather's abuse,
 he's become an advocate
 for elderly residents in care.
This is mom when she
worked at the Chateau Laurier.
This is her in the back.
She was a--
what was a switchboard operator
back then.
David: People like
 Diana Pepin's mother.
Diana: Mom is now
 turned 86 years old.
Had she not had a head trauma,
she'd be doing 5k a day,
power walking.
David: She now lives in
 another city-run Ottawa home.
Diana: She gave everything
 she had, worked so hard,
 and should have had a
 really nice end to her life.
David: But
 a car accident
 leaves her with
 permanent injuries.
Diana: 2014, my father found
 it became too difficult.
I never wanted her...
Sorry.
I never wanted her to
go to long-term care.
David: It's an
 emotional decision.
Hi, mommy. Hi.
David: Made worse for
 Diana, a registered nurse.
Diana: Well, the first thing
 that I picked on was
 infection control.
I see that what I would
consider to be infection control
was non-existent.
Today's not a very
comfortable day, is it?
David: She tells management
 about her concerns and the home
 takes action, telling
 her she's not welcome.
I can be in the home
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
My restriction is
I can't be in the room
when they're providing
care for my mother.
That's it.
Now you're all straighter.
Okay.
David: So Diana
 installs security cameras
 in her mother's room.
Diana: This is the PSW
 who has taken care
 of mom for several years.
 She's having an
 interaction with my father.
She's showing how well
she dresses mom,
she colour coordinates for her.
David: It sounds caring.
Very nice.
The socks are
matching the nightgown.
It sounds good.
And you think, this is
a nice relationship.
David: But when her
 father leaves the room,
 so do the nice words.
My poor mother.
Yeah.
David: I don't imagine
 this has been an easy road
 by any stretch.
Well, it makes
you not trust people.
You know what?
It just makes you not trust
your own judgement sometimes,
when you think that
people are okay.
And then you find out
that you could be so duped.
David: The PSW
 in the video was fired,
 along with two bystanders.
 The city of Ottawa says
 it has a zero tolerance
 policy for abuse
 and has been working
 on an improvement plan.
These are people who
really are the most vulnerable.
They're more vulnerable in
many cases than children,
because if this
happened in a daycare,
that daycare would be
shut down in five minutes.
David: In Ontario alone,
 homes have reported about
 21,000 incidents of
 abuse over six years.
 We share some
 of those cases
 with elder advocate
 Jane Meadus.
We found a PSW,
a personal support worker,
returning to work after
an allegation of abuse
without any further training.
Another incident of
resident-to-resident
sexual abuse.
And then finally,
resident-to-resident abuse
that took place while
the staff were asleep.
Are these isolated or
do you hear about things
like that all the time?
I hear about these
things all the time.
There's nothing worse
than getting a call from
a family member telling
you about how they walked
into a room and found their
family member being assaulted.
Or discovering that their
mother was sexually assaulted.
We have people crying
on the phone every day.
David: And these
are incidents under
which they've caught it.
That's correct.
David: And they're
 not always caught.
I would say that
many of them aren't.
David: The man on the
 floor died four days later.
What do you say to a family
whose loved ones are facing
violence, abuse and neglect?
[ ♪♪ ]
David: Fighting for better
 care on your Marketplace.
[ ♪♪ ]
David: We're inside
 Ontario nursing homes,
 investigating why abuse
 rates are sky rocketing.
When do we say long-term care
has reached a crisis point?
Oh.
We're way past that.
I think we've been
in crisis for years.
And finally people
are starting to see it.
David: We take that
 message to Ontario's
Minister of Health
and Long-term Care.
-I'm David.
-Hi, David.
David: Thanks very
much for doing this.
Hi, it's Eric.
David: We tell
 Eric Hoskins about
 the dramatic rise we found in
 resident-on-resident violence.
As the minister responsible,
are you content that we've
gone from four incidents
a day in long-term care homes
up to nine in just six years?
Of course not.
Of course not.
We're talking about some of
the most vulnerable people
in our society.
I won't stop, I won't rest until
those numbers diminish and
go to zero.
It's my responsibility
as Minister.
David: So we show
 him what happened to
 84-year-old Meyer Sadoway.
Wow...
David: The man on the floor
 died four days later.
I'm very sorry to hear that.
That's very--
of course,
it's very painful
to watch.
David: What do you say to
a family who has experienced
something like that when there
are an increasing number of
families whose loved
ones are facing violence,
abuse, and neglect?
Well, first of all,
I'd say that I'm very
sorry to that family.
No family should have to
witness or experience that
let alone the tragic result.
But what I will say is that
I take these incidents
very, very seriously.
David: Ontario is
 promising more direct
 care hours in nursing homes.
 But many front line workers
 say without a minimum number
 of staff, homes
 won't improve.
This is one of your inspectors
saying we're fighting for that.
One of the people who reports
to you through your ministry
is saying we're
fighting to have a ratio.
So we are addressing
the staffing issue,
as I mentioned.
We're adding 15 million more
hours across the province,
and also we're doing many
important things with our--
David: Even though
some of those PSWs
say more hours are great,
but without more staff,
it's kind of meaningless?
Well, more hours
translates into more staff.
David: There's
no legal floor,
there's no minimum
number or ratio.
But there's a
legal requirement that
that staffing ratio,
that staffing plan
has to reflect the nature of
the residents that live there.
David: You believe that's
the solution to all of this?
Well, I think it's
part of the solution.
David: As the government
 searches for a solution,
 how do you ensure you're
 choosing a good home
 for an aging loved one?
You need to do your
homework before you go in.
Speak to people who
have family members there.
Do the tour.
You need to go in
at the morning,
at night and evening.
Make sure that they
are getting the care,
that it's not only doing sort of
the normal visiting hours
after work.
David: And from
 those who are there.
What do other people who have
vulnerable family members in
long-term care homes
need to be thinking about?
Everybody has to
start being an advocate.
It's time to stop being afraid.
[ ♪♪ ]
Asha: You first saw
him on Dragon's Den.
I developed a technology to
help people's backs get better.
Asha: Promoting a product
 that blew them away.
That was unbelievable.
You get caught up in
the moment of the deal.
Asha: We put his
 magic clips to the test.
I'm not really
feeling a whole lot.
Some people say you're
a snake oil salesman.
Well, everybody
has an opinion.
Asha: On your
 next Marketplace.
[ ♪♪ ]
