City appoints former Perley and Rideau CEO to conduct long-term care review
Review comes after 3 employees were fired for verbal abuse at city-run facility
The former head of the Perley and Rideau Veterans' Health Centre has been tasked with completing an independent review of Ottawa's long-term care facilities, the city announced Tuesday.
Greg Fougère will undertake the review, which is expected to take five months. Fougère worked in senior care for three decades, including a 17-year stint as CEO of the veterans' home.
He said his priority is to interview residents, family members and staff, in that order. He will also spend time in the homes to get a better understanding of the environments.
Fougère said any form of abuse is "totally unacceptable at any time, anywhere."
The accused employee was fired in September along with two other workers who had witnessed the abuse but did not report it.
City manager Steve Kanellakos lauded Fougère in a memo to the mayor and city councillors.
"Mr. Fougère has been involved in seniors' initiatives at the local and provincial levels, working in areas such as long-term care policy, planning, funding and legislative compliance." According to the memo, Fougère has received many awards and honours for his work.
The review is set to begin Nov. 1, and will be submitted by March 31, 2018, with recommendations for measures to prevent further abuse. The city has already held 13 consultation sessions with family, friends and volunteers at the homes.
"It's very important with the most vulnerable residents that the environment be as stable as possible, that the caregiver be as stable as possible because you need to create a safe environment so residents have a level of comfort in the people they see every day," said Fougère.