Heidi Draper, right, with her mother in her home in Calgary. Ms. Draper's mother was a victim of an alleged sexual assault in her long-term care home. Ms. Draper has made a petition in hopes that a new bill to improve the safety of vulnerable seniors will prevent future incidents from occurring.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
The federal Health Minister is being urged to do more to protect long-term care home residents from abuse, including sexual assault, as the government prepares a law to improve the safety of vulnerable seniors.
A petition presented to Parliament by Calgary Conservative MP Len Webber last month called for measures “to prevent individuals who have a history of sexually inappropriate behaviours from residing in rooms near vulnerable individuals living in care homes in Canada.”
One of the petition’s 29 signatories is Heidi Draper, whose mother was allegedly assaulted in April, 2020, by a fellow resident of her Calgary long-term care home. The man had a history of inappropriate sexual behaviour toward female residents, she said.
He was recorded on video entering Ms. Draper’s mother’s room clothed, and emerging with no pants on. His slippers and pants were found by her bed, and her night dress and blankets had been rearranged, according to a Calgary police report.
Ms. Draper said her 89-year-old mother has advanced Alzheimer’s, doesn’t speak and has limited use of her arms and legs. She and the man can’t be named, because their identities are protected by a publication ban.
Ms. Draper’s family removed her mother from the Calgary care home after the incident. Ms. Draper said she would have done so earlier, if she had been told about the man’s behaviour toward other female residents.
“Every morning I wake up with my heart pounding,” she said. “I want people with a history of sexually inappropriate behaviour not to be housed next to vulnerable people.”
The Calgary police report says Ms. Draper’s mother was the victim of a sexual assault, and that her “personal space and dignity” were violated. But police decided charging the man was not in the public interest. He has since died.
The Calgary Police Service declined to comment.
When Mr. Webber presented the petition, he told the Commons that the “inability of care homes to separate known sexual abusers from very vulnerable populations is allowing them to commit their crimes with little recourse.”
He reiterated this in an e-mail to The Globe and Mail. “It is important that background checks be done on residents so that we know who we are housing together,” he wrote.
“We need to ensure families know their aging relatives are safe in their new homes, and that starts with making sure we don’t set them up for abuse,” he added. “If we know someone has a past that could predispose them to taking advantage of vulnerable people, we need to ensure proper safeguards are in place.”
“At the very least, other residents should be informed that someone living in the same facility may pose a risk.”
Mr. Webber said many seniors are reluctant to admit they have been victims of abuse.
“They are afraid they will not be believed, or that they may be moved away from their home for speaking out.”
Anne Genier, a spokeswoman for Health Canada, said the department will begin consulting within months on a federal “safe long-term care” bill, which was a Liberal election pledge. Health Canada is also planning “engagement with stakeholders” throughout Canada over the contents of the bill, she said.
“We know Canadians want to age closer to home and family, but also expect long-term care to be safe, if it is needed.”
Jonathan Denis, a lawyer for Ms. Draper, said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos’s proposed law must include safety measures to protect adults in care homes from people with histories of sexual violence and misconduct.
“What we would like is some sort of national standard in consultation with provinces. This is preventable,” Mr. Denis said. “Let’s make sure this never happens to somebody else.”
Last month, Liberal MP Hedy Fry tabled a private members’ bill designed to protect vulnerable long-term care residents. The House of Commons referred it to a committee for consideration.
The bill would create a criminal offence for long-term care facilities, their owners or their managers endangering the life of someone in their care, or permanently injuring them.
Anyone found guilty would be banned from working in other care homes with vulnerable adults.