Death of 88-year-old outside Quebec seniors’ residence raises questions about safety measures

Nearly half of quebec city seniors’ residences that domiciliate people at lay on the line of vagabondage relieve lack the provincially mandated security measures meant to reduce that risk, Radio-Canada has learned.

The recent death of an 88-year-old woman outside a seniors’ residence in Laval, Que., has raised questions about compliance with regulations first announced in 2022 by the Health Ministry.

Certain seniors’ residences, based on their category, had until July 2025 to install the security systems.

Article 24 of the regulation on the certification of seniors’ residences requires operators of category 3 and 4 seniors’ residences to install security devices that alert staff when residents at risk of wandering leave the building without supervision.

In Quebec, category 3 residences serve semi-independent seniors and offer limited care services, while category 4 residences house seniors with moderate to severe loss of autonomy and must provide both personal assistance and nursing care, according to the government.

Quebec has roughly 350 category 4 private seniors’ residences housing nearly 11,000 seniors, as well as more than 1,000 category 3 residences home to about 108,000 people.

But data obtained from Santé Québec show more than 550 of these private seniors’ residences still have not installed the devices required under Article 24.

Among category 3 residences, 512 are compliant, while 520 are not. In category 4 residences, 289 have security devices in place, while 56 do not.

In an email, a Santé Québec spokesperson said the application of Article 24 has not been postponed, it remains in force and compliance is expected of those subject to the regulations.

But the Regroupement québécois des résidences pour aînés (RQRA), which represents seniors' residences, says it's not surprised by the figures.

“For category 3 residences without security devices, it would be unrealistic to enforce Article 24 tomorrow morning, and even in the long term it could turn into another saga like the sprinkler issue,” said spokesperson Hans Brouillette, referring to sprinkler regulations that proved too costly for some residences.

“Even with a compliant device, you need staff to respond, which isn’t always available around the clock.”

Brouillette said many residences face financial constraints that cannot be ignored. And Hugo Boucher, chair of the RQRA board, added autonomous residents will feel the impact of tighter restrictions that control their movements.

Balancing safety and autonomy in seniors’ residences after 3 cold-weather deaths

However, Pierre Lynch, president of a Quebec seniors’ rights advocacy group, said time is running out as the population ages and cognitive issues become more common.

“I understand the financial difficulties some residences face, but at some point, in certain places, the monthly cost is already quite high. We’re playing with people’s lives right now,” said Lynch, who heads the Association québécoise de défense des droits des personnes retraitées et préretraitées.

Lynch said Quebec should consider technologies such as tracking chips in clothing or footwear that trigger door locks when a resident approaches, or simpler solutions like door buzzers that alert staff when someone tries to leave.

The province’s requirements can cost about $5,000 per door for anti-wandering systems at exits on care-unit floors, basements and ground levels, according to telecommunications consultant Claude Dolembreux.

He said even a basic system requires a significant investment to prevent residents from leaving unnoticed, but there is no shortage of options.

“You can use facial recognition, chips in clothing or shoes or bracelets and tags worn around the neck," he said.

In March, Seniors Minister Sonia Bélanger acknowledged that many category 3 residences had yet to install the required devices.

“We’re aware of the situation and we’re reviewing each case individually with the Health Ministry,” she said.

Questioned last week at the National Assembly, Bélanger said she did not fully understand what happened at the Laval residence where the woman died.

“Seniors’ homes do very good work, but when people have cognitive deficits, every resident needs a personalized intervention plan,” she said.

“Yes, we need cameras, doorbells and door locks, but nothing replaces direct supervision by staff.”

The woman's death in Laval is not an isolated case. She suffered from a condition comparable to dementia, according to her grandson. The case has been referred to the coroner’s office.

Her death was one of three cases this week involving seniors who died from exposure, though the other two were unrelated to seniors’ housing.

In 2019, the mother of former Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe was found unconscious in the snow near an emergency exit at a large seniors’ residence. She later died of hypothermia.

Coroner Géhane Kamel concluded her death could have been avoided if a motion detector in her suite had worked as promised and if an intercom or bell had been installed on emergency doors.

A 2021 coroner’s report examined the death of a 94-year-old man found one January morning in a parking lot near his residence. Coroner Denise McManiman questioned whether an overnight staff member in a 24-room residence could reasonably be expected to stay awake with only a baby monitor for alerts.

“In the past five years alone, I’ve found at least five cases where people died outdoors in winter, lightly dressed, after leaving a residence at night without anyone noticing,” McManiman wrote.

She also called for closer oversight of the certification regulation.

“Nearly three years after its implementation, government authorities should verify whether it is being properly applied and meeting expectations,” she wrote.

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