James Hawley coroner's inquest calls for closer caregiver oversight
Prescott man died of starvation, pneumonia, infected bed sores while under brother's care
The jury at a coroner's inquest into the death of a Prescott, Ont., man who weighed only 57 pounds and was suffering from 33 bed sores when he died under the care of his brother is calling for closer oversight of caregivers.
James Hawley had suffered a brain injury as a child, which left him to rely on a wheelchair to get around. He was under the care of social services most of his life but started living with his younger brother after they were reunited in 2000.
The 41-year-old man was dependent on his younger brother when he died of starvation, pneumonia and infected bed sores in May 2008.
His brother, Jerry Hawley, was convicted of manslaughter in his death and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Jury makes 17 recommendations
A five-person jury issued 17 recommendations Thursday on how to prevent similar deaths, including that the Ministry of Community of Social Services and Attorney General create a committee responsible for determining "how best to set up a mechanism to ensure mandatory reporting risk of harm to vulnerable adults," according to the jury's written report.
Many of the recommendations dealt with the screening and review of caregivers who receive funds to support a dependent.
The jury also recommended mechanisms to ensure better sharing of information between agencies, including a call for police reports of vulnerable adults who have been abused or neglected to be passed along to the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee.
As well, police should also review how they train officers when it comes to interviewing people with intellectual disabilities, the jury suggested.
"Future training [should] include a simple approach to recognizing signs of abuse and consider having officers specialized in interviewing such individuals," said the jury in their written recommendations.
The presiding coroner is expected to write a report based on the jury's recommendations within 30 days.