Failure to communicate

After the removal of a benign brain tumour, a woman in her 20s suffered a stroke that left her unsteady on her feet, needing assistance to use the bathroom, and with speech difficulties. She had to be hospitalized several times and was placed in the complex care unit of a local hospital for four months.

After the removal of a benign brain tumour, a woman in her 20s suffered a stroke that left her unsteady on her feet, needing assistance to use the bathroom, and with speech difficulties. She had to be hospitalized several times and was placed in the complex care unit of a local hospital for four months.

The woman’s mother turned to the Ombudsman for help in finding a residential placement for her. The hospital was pressuring the mother to care for her at home, but the local Community Care Access Centre could only provide a support worker for 16 hours per week, which would leave her alone during the day while her mother was at work. The CCAC and hospital wanted to move the daughter to a long-term care home, since there was no facility in the community for a person with such a brain injury, but she refused.

Ombudsman staff discovered communication problems between the service providers involved in the case. Some were not familiar with how the Ministry assists with funding for transitional housing for people with acquired brain injuries.

After our review, the daughter was placed in housing for women with similar injuries, which offered access to programs for physical and speech rehabilitation, within an hour of her mother’s home. The CEO of the Local Health Integration Network also agreed to improve communication between local providers and services in the community and surrounding regions.